Europe freeze kills 89, fears rise over Russian gas supplies

Record-low temperatures in parts of Eastern Europe pushed the death toll from Arctic conditions to at least 89 people on Wednesday, and have forced Russian gas provider Gazprom to warn over supplies to Europe.

Europe had enjoyed a relatively mild winter up until last weekend, when a Siberian system swinging in from the east brought that to an abrupt halt.

A source at the Russian gas export monopoly, which supplies a quarter of Europe's gas imports, said it was getting more requests from export markets than it could physically accommodate as demand from Russia spikes. "Despite increasing gas consumption in Russia due to heavy frosts, Gazprom continues implementing its contractual obligations to European clients," it said.

In Ukraine, 43 people have died in the past five days, its emergency ministry said, as the former Soviet republic shivered through its coldest winter in six years.

Overnight temperatures sank as low as -33 C, and hundreds of heated tents have been put up to shelter the homeless.

"They say the whole February will be cold, and the first half of March, so we have to get ready for this somehow," said Viktor, who is living on the streets of Kiev.

European weather alert network Meteoalarm warned of "extremely dangerous" conditions in several parts of Eastern Europe, including Serbia, where a fourth person was found dead overnight in the southwestern Suvobor mountains.

Security forces there, and in neighboring Bosnia, used helicopters to ferry supplies to areas cut off by deep snow and to evacuate the elderly. The forecast across the Balkans is for conditions to worsen through the week. Meteoalarm said severe cold was likely to persist in continental Europe, including Germany and southeastern Europe.

In Moscow, where daytime temperatures fell as low as -22 C, opponents of Vladimir Putin worried that the cold could reduce attendance at a rally against the prime minister on Saturday, one month before he stands in presidential elections.

Thermometers in parts of Bulgaria plunged to record lows just shy of - 30 C, freezing cash machines in Sofia, daily newspaper Trud reported. Eight people in Bulgaria and 14 in neighboring Romania have died in the cold snap.

Poland said five people died overnight, two of them from carbon monoxide poisoning as people turned to risky heating to battle temperatures likely to remain as low at -26 C for several more days. The country's gas monopoly PGNiG said on Wednesday it had restricted industrial deliveries to meet increased heating demand.

In Slovenia, winds of up to 180 kph blew off roofs and prompted authorities to close some schools, officials said.