Winter storm pounds Black Sea region

A storm in the Black Sea region has caused severe damage. There have been reports of power outages, flooding and closed roads in Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Russia. A blanket of snow covered northeastern Bulgaria, after unusually heavy snowfall.

Traffic was broad to a standstill by snowstorms in the region of Odesa. Ukrainska Pravda reported that the 110-meter-high chimney of a combined heat and power plant collapsed on Sunday night. On Monday morning, around 150,000 households were still without electricity and residents were told to stay indoors. Schools remained closed.

Winter has already arrived in earnest in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Authorities said there had been hundreds of incidents after the severe winter storm in the Black Sea region. Some 1,300 trucks and around 840 cars were either involved in accidents or got stuck in the snow. As it gets increasingly colder, there is growing concern that Russia will target the energy infrastructure in air strikes.

There have been reports of heavy flooding in the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. A 50-year-old man drowned and seven people were injured in the storm. The Russian-installed governor, Sergei Aksyonov, has declared a state of emergency. Here, people are trying to escape the freezing weather and floods in inflatable boats.

Many country roads in Bulgaria are currently blocked by snow and broken branches that need to be cleared. Certain important mountain passes were closed and air and rail traffic was restricted. Over 1,000 towns and villages were affected by power cuts. Four regions have declared a state of emergency.

The region of Krasnodar in southern Russia has seen major damage from the storm. Huge waves crashed against the promenade in Sochi, a popular seaside and vacation resort, not far from the Georgian border. Wind speeds of 86 km/h ripped down hundreds of trees. Loading at the Novorossiysk pipeline was stopped and oil tankers were brought to safety as waves reached a height of eight meters.

Young people in the Turkish capital of Ankara, far from the coast, made the most of the unusual amount of snow to enjoy themselves, protected from the cold by only their hoodies.