Twenty two people were hospitalized for treatment of hypothermia, the report said, quoting the municipal health service.

Cities and towns in western Russia have reported deaths and cases of hypothermia since the cold wave set in on Tuesday. Forecasters say temperatures will warm slightly during the weekend but were likely to sink again next week with the anticipated arrival of another cold front.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.