Seven die of exposure as extreme cold grips Moscow

AN extreme cold spell caused more deaths among Russians stranded on frozen streets yesterday while thousands of revellers plunged into icy waters for an annual ritual marking a Russian Orthodox holiday.

Moscow shivered through its fourth day of a cold snap, with temperatures dropping to minus 24 degrees celsius overnight - the lowest recorded temperature on January 19 since 1927.

Seven people died of exposure in the capital in the past day. At least 31 people have died across the western part of the country since the cold spell swept in from Siberia late Monday, but the number is likely to be higher because many areas have not reported such deaths.