Deep freeze claims at least 30 lives in Poland

THE death toll from a deep freeze in Poland has increased to 30 with a dozen more deaths overnight, officials said yesterday, while some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans.

Many of those who died in Poland are drunks or homeless people and police canvassed the streets in the hopes of preventing more from freezing to death. Temperatures across most of Poland were around -15 C (5 F).

Authorities, meanwhile, declared a state of emergency in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro and evacuated hundreds of people after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along the Drina River — the worst in 104 years. But floodwaters receded significantly overnight in Bosnia, leaving a trail of mud and debris in many areas.

Bosnian authorities used rafts to rescue people from apartments in Foca, and on the other side of the river, hundreds of people were evacuated in Serbia and Montenegro as the Drina flooded farms and roads.

Schools were closed, many people had no electricity or heat, and water supplies were contaminated along the river in all three countries.

Thousands of people and livestock were also evacuated from northwestern Albania after severe floods. A state of emergency was declared in Shkodra, which remains isolated by days of heavy rain.

The frigid weather has also caused chaos across parts of Europe with airport closure in several countries. Yesterday Britain’s Gatwick Airport reopened after heavy snowfall forced a 48-hour closure.