Heavy snowfall and violent blizzards in Romania and Moldova left one person dead on Sunday and left hundreds of communities without power, while forcing the closure of some national roads, according to authorities.
In Moldova, at least two people died in road accidents, the Moldovan National Police said.
“We constantly call on drivers not to take to the road with unequipped cars and to drive at low speeds,” Moldovan police said in a statement published on Telegram, and warned against driving “without urgent necessity “.
In Romania, red weather alerts were issued in the eastern counties of Constanta, Tulcea, Galati and Braila, where winds were expected to reach up to 100 km/h, the national meteorological administration said.
Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said more than 400 localities had suffered power cuts.
In neighboring Bulgaria, powerful winter storms also brought heavy snowfall and prompted the government to declare a state of emergency on Sunday across much of the country. According to Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, more than 1,000 localities, mainly in northeastern Bulgaria, were without electricity on Sunday.
In Bulgaria, two people died in road accidents and 36 were injured in storms over the past 24 hours. High winds also led to road closures and delays, as well as downed trees and power lines, Denkov said.