Poland suffering disastrous weather

Warsaw - Technicians were working across Poland on Friday to restore power to some 180 000 households and to unblock roads and railway tracks after heavy snowfall broke power lines and felled trees. Two homeless men froze to death.

Spokesperson for the firefighters Pawel Fratczak said that teams were also called to secure torn-off roofs and help clear snow from roads.

Police said two men, aged 60 and 65, were found dead in northern Poland early on Thursday, as night temperatures fell below freezing. They said 15 people have frozen to death since November 1, when temperatures started falling.

A bout of winter weather hit Poland and some other countries in the region on Thursday and continued overnight. Forecasts say this weather, typical for the winter season in Poland, will continue for a few days.

"The snow that came down is wet and there is a lot of it and that makes branches break and fall down, posing a threat to cars and pedestrians," Fratczak said.

A fallen tree was blocking the tracks of commuter trains south of Warsaw.