Ten people died of cold in Poland, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday, after 11 on Sunday, raising the death toll since November to 212 -- mainly homeless men -- while around 5,000 homes in the south were without electricity

In Romania, one of the worst-hit nations, 33 people have died in six days, with 11 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the ministry of health said.

With temperatures plunging as low as minus 32 Celsius (minus 27 Fahrenheit) in the centre, authorities triggered an emergency measure that allows them to cut gas supplies to companies in favour of households in case of shortage.

In neighbouring Bulgaria, many schools remained closed for a second day and nearly 20 towns registered record low temperatures for the day.

Rescue services continued to fight their way through snow-drifted roads to villages that have been cut off, but two highways east from the capital to the Black Sea coast were finally reopened.

In Russia, schools were closed in the Orel region south of Moscow, nearly 30,000 people were without power in mountainous Chechnya and the agency Ria Novosti said some 40 automatic money dispensers froze in Moscow.

The Regnum news agency reported 13 people had died of cold in part of the Volga region since January 1.

The director of Russia's meteorological agency Gydromedtsentr was quoted by Ria Novosti news agency as saying temperatures this month had not risen above zero anywhere in the European part of Russia.

In Russia's Far East, the thermometer plunged to minus 59 Celsius in parts of Siberia, and minus 45 in Irkutsk.

Authorities in the Czech Republic said at least six people had died of the cold over the weekend, and several accidents caused by snow disrupted traffic on two key highways.

A German homeless charity said the death toll there of 14 was the highest for more than a decade, and more snow and freezing wind is expected.

Forecasters said more transport problems were expected because of the cold, although Monday's disruption at Frankfurt airport, Europe's third biggest air hub, has eased.

The cold snap has not spared western Europe either. A thin coating of snow lay over Madrid and parts of central Spain, while much of the southeast was on alert for snow and strong winds.

The two yachts that are to battle for yachting's prestigious America's Cup remained stranded in port for a third day, scuppering training less than two weeks before the race.

burs-km/emb/gk

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