Fatalities reported as Ukraine endures devastating winter storm
Ukraine gripped by deadly snowstorm: Over 10 fatalities and widespread power outages as heavy snowfall blankets the country, leaving thousands stranded A state official confirmed these grim conditions caused by the three-day storm
At least ten individuals have perished and countless others are still without electricity in Ukraine due to three days of severe weather conditions that have buried parts of the country in heavy snow, a senior official announced on Tuesday.
Over 400 communities in 11 regions are currently without power, and over 1,500 first responders are working to assist the thousands of individuals in need of rescue, as the forecast predicts continued snowfall throughout the week, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko reported on Telegram.
23 others sustained injuries, including two children, according to Klymenko. The fatalities occurred in the Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv regions. Videos depicted Ukrainian police struggling against strong winds as they worked to push and tow cars back onto icy highways after they had veered off the road and into ditches.
The worst of the Sunday storm appears to have subsided, but another strong low-pressure system is expected to hit the country late Tuesday through Wednesday, bringing heavy snow, wind, and rain. The mountainous southwestern regions of Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakapattia in Ukraine are expected to receive the highest snow totals from the current storm, with the Hydrometeorological Center warning of a "considerable danger" of avalanches.
Odesa meteoroligists say the current snowfall is the heaviest in the last five years.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Maryana Reva reported that some areas had snow drifts as high as 2 meters. She also stated that the southern region, particularly the Odesa region, was the most heavily impacted, resulting in five recorded deaths.
The storm struck Ukraine amid ongoing challenges stemming from Russia's war on the country. Infrastructure and essential services have already been compromised in numerous locations, and the severe weather is exacerbating these issues. Officials provided somber reports on the locations where the deceased were discovered.
"The bodies of all the deceased were found on the streets," stated Reeva on Tuesday. "Preliminary information suggests that they succumbed to hypothermia."
She reported that a team of 6,000 Interior Ministry personnel had been actively engaged in storm response efforts since Sunday.
Nearly 2,500 individuals, including 162 children, were rescued from Odesa by rescue teams, as reported by Governor Oleh Kiper. He stated on Telegram that a total of 849 vehicles, including 24 buses and 17 ambulances, were also towed to safety. The severe weather, which included wind speeds of up to 65 miles (105 kilometers) per hour, was attributed to a low-pressure system over eastern Europe during the weekend.
Human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels, are increasing the frequency of severe storms globally due to climate change. In Ukraine, the annual snow cover is projected to decrease as the planet continues to warm, while heavy snowfall events in winter are becoming more common. The country is also facing challenges with drought affecting agriculture, which is also exacerbated by the climate crisis, and an increasing number of flooding events.
CNN Weathers Derek Van Dam contributed to this report.
