Ten people die in Ukraine snowstorms

Ten people have died in snowstorms in Ukraine, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Tuesday, after icy winds and storms swept the country since Sunday, cutting power and blocking roads.

Southern Ukraine was the worst affected, particularly the Black Sea region of Odesa. Cars and buses slid off frozen roads into fields and police battled high winds to tow the vehicles out.

"As a result of worsening weather conditions, 10 people died in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions," Klymenko wrote on the Telegram app.

"Twenty-three people were injured, including two children," he added.

A total of 411 settlements in 11 regions had lost power, and more than 1,500 vehicles had to be rescued, Klymenko said.

Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region where five people died due to the weather, said nearly 2,500 people had been rescued after becoming trapped by the snow.

"849 vehicles have been towed out, including 24 buses and 17 ambulances," Kiper wrote on the Telegram app, adding that over 300 settlements in his region were without power.