The wave of cold in Europe causes problems for energy and transport

Problems in transport and energy supply continue in some countries of Europe, where the cold snap continues.

In Italy, one of the most affected countries of Western Europe, where already there have been 18 deaths, the Minister of economic development, Corrado Passera, today said that the gas supply situation is "critical".

Passera explained that, due to the cold wave, the consumption of gas yesterday "was the highest in the country's history".

The CEO of Eni, Paolo Scaroni hydrocarbon company, explained that if on February 8 the emergency continues, you will have to remove the gas supplies to some companies.

The cold snap will continue in the next 48 hours, so it is expected new frosts and snowfalls in the peninsula, reported today the military aeronautical meteorological service.

Frost continuing in the North and expected new rainfall of snow, while in the u000aCenter, in the regions of Lazio, whose capital is Rome, in the Abruzzi, Molise and Basilicata, the situation will worsen during the afternoon.

Problems in railway traffic continue and tens of thousands of families in the Centre-South of Italy are still without electricity supply.

In Rome is obligatory the use of chains until noon local time, and, although it has become to circulate public transportation, major delays are registering.

In Germany, at least four people were killed this weekend by cold.

Meteorological services announced last night were recorded temperatures of up to 28 degrees below zero in the East of Germany, and in the neighbouring region of Brandenburg and Berlin have thermometers dropped to 23 degrees below zero.

The intense cold of the past few days has caused also the closure of the waterways and canals in all the North of Germany, where the rivers Elbe, and Oder, bordering Poland, u000alast to its mouth at Hamburg, are frozen and show a thick layer of ice.

In France, where the cold snap has caused four deaths, there is a notice of warning in 39 departments of the southeast of the country, where the company RTE (transport electric network), responsible for the distribution of electricity believes that there are "real" risks of cuts by the high consumption.

In the United Kingdom there is notice of formation of ice in the freeways, particularly in Wales and England, while British airports wait to operate their services as normal after cancellations and delays on Sunday.

London airport of Heathrow's busiest in Europe, today canceled 40 flights after yesterday suspended 42% of scheduled services.

Nine people have died in Hungary since Friday by the cold wave, reported today the MTI Agency, bringing to 14 the total number since the beginning of the last u000aweek.

In Serbia, the cold snap has caused nine deaths. In addition, some 70,000 citizens of mountainous villages in the country are isolated by snow.

In Bulgaria, in the South, the breakage of a dam has flooded a village of approximately 800 people. Other two towns in the same region have also declared a State of alert for flooding from nearby rivers.

In Poland, where the cold has killed 42 people since the beginning of February, nine of them in the last 24 hours, the increase in the use of home heating systems and coal braziers is one of the main causes of more than 1,500 fires declared this weekend.

The cold wave has reached North Africa: the storm that has affected Algeria in the last three days, characterized by unusual snow storms and rains, has caused at least 16 dead and more than 120 wounded, according to figures broadcast today by various national media.

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