Extreme cold weather over the weekend injured about 30 people across Lithuania, and three deaths are believed to be linked to exposure, emergency medical officials said Monday.
“Three deaths over the weekend: one in the Telšiai district, one in Anykščiai and one in Vilnius,” Tomas Bagdonas, a spokesman for the national emergency medical service, told BNS.
Nationwide, “there are roughly about three dozen people who suffered from the cold”, he said.
In the Telšiai district, the body of a man was found outdoors overnight from Saturday to Sunday. He was wearing only a short-sleeved shirt and trousers, and medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Authorities also reported finding the body of a man who had frozen to death in the Anykščiai district and the body of a woman in the Trakai district.
The exact number of people treated for frostbite or hypothermia in the Šiauliai, Panevėžys and Klaipėda regions is not yet known, but officials say the cases number in the dozens. Five cold-related cases were reported in the Vilnius region and 16 in the Kaunas region.
“All cases recorded specifically due to hypothermia involved frostbite,” Bagdonas said.
Most of those affected were older adults, intoxicated individuals and people without permanent housing, he added.
Lithuania recorded its lowest temperatures in about 30 years on Monday morning, with severe frost reported in many areas.
Because of the extreme cold, some schools switched to remote classes on Monday and Tuesday. Disruptions were also reported in public transportation in Vilnius, Klaipėda and Šiauliai, and train delays were possible, officials said.
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