Thirty die in Ukraine cold snap

KIEV, Rabi'I 8, 1433, Jan 31, 2012, SPA - At least 30 people have died in the past five days in a cold snap in Ukraine that has brought temperatures down to minus 33 Celsius (minus 27 Fahrenheit), the Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday. Most of the victims were homeless people, the ministry said. Another 500 people have been treated in hospital for frostbite and other cold-related ailments. Ukraine has been experiencing its coldest winter in six years. The ministry said 1,600 centers had been set up to provide make-shift accommodation and dispense food for homeless people.