| Bitter Cold Kills 65 in Europe November 24, 1998 BUCHAREST, Romania (CNN) -- Bitter cold and blizzards have swept through Europe, killing at least 65 people. The cold snap has pushed temperatures below zero degrees Celsius (32 F) from France in the west to the Baltic states in the east. The cold snap began November 16, but weather forecasters predict temperatures will rise in the coming days. Romania has been hit hardest by snowfall, where the army worked to free 200 people stranded in their cars for more than 48 hours after the main highways in the south were covered by snowdrifts. But at least six people froze to death over the weekend while trapped in their cars. At least 21 people have died from the cold or weather-related accidents in Romania. The Libertatea newspaper reported that at least 200 communities were without electricity. At least 15 major roads were blocked by snowdrifts as high as 5 feet (1.5 meters). In Bucharest, there were dozens of accidents due to icy conditions. The Emergency Hospital said it treated 80 people for fractures and frostbite in the past week. Officials dismissed complaints that they had not given timely help nor warned of the coming snowfall. "Many people are to blame for their own misfortune," Transport Minister Traian Basescu told Romanian state television. "Winter in unpredictable. How many people stuck in their cars were carrying shovels or put chains on their tires?" The storms also shut down Black Sea ports and shipping along the Danube River. In nearby Bulgaria, three people were dead due to the storm, the daily 24 Chassa reported Monday. Some highways were blocked and some areas were without power, telephones or running water. In Poland, temperatures dipped well below seasonal norms. The lowest temperature reported was minus 26 degrees Celsius (minus 15 F) in Ostroleka in northeast Poland. Polish public television reported that 37 people have frozen to death over the past week. Police said most were homeless or others who passed out in the cold after drinking alcohol. In Moscow, 11 people were reported dead due to the cold and 200 were hospitalized for frostbite. In Latvia, 11 people have died in sub-zero temperatures. One woman was reported to have died after taking the wrong bus and then failing to make her way home. The cold also hurt western Europe. In France, the fountains in front of the Eiffel Tower were frozen. Six people in France were reported dead due to the cold. In Paris Monday, about 100 homeless people held a sit-in at the headquarters of the state-run medical assistance service to push for better protection in the winter.
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