06:43 PM
Saturday 04 February 2023
Bratislava – (dpa):
Heavy snowfall caused widespread accidents and power outages in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland, where at least two people were killed in weather-related accidents on Saturday.
In the city of Sisic, located near Poland’s southern border with Slovakia, an elderly woman was killed, after a tree fell during a storm, and caused severe damage to the woman’s house.
A spokesman for the fire brigade told the official Polish news agency PAP that firefighters found the retired woman in the house.
Another woman was killed near the northern port of Gdansk in Poland, as a result of her car colliding with a tree, according to the Polish channel (TVN24), which also reported more than 140 traffic accidents related to heavy snowfall and slippery roads.
For its part, the Slovak News Agency (TASER) reported that the authorities in northern Slovakia had declared an “exceptional situation” in 27 municipalities, allowing them to take special emergency measures and restrictions.
Several popular ski resorts were also closed over the weekend due to storms.
Residents of the capital of the Zilina region in Slovakia, and nearby cities, were urged not to leave their homes, unless absolutely necessary.
The Czech News Agency (CTK) reported that trees that fell on power lines in the Czech Republic caused power outages for tens of thousands of families.
