Milan:  Freezing temperatures and exceptional snowfall caused travel delays today across Europe and were blamed for at least 12 deaths, including that of a man in Milan who was crushed when a canopy collapsed under the weight of snow.

In Poland, the Interior Ministry said at least 10 people have frozen to death due to temperatures reaching minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 25 Celsius ).

Italian police said a Milan businessman standing on his balcony was killed when the snow brought down a canopy and part of a wall. A 47-year-old Serbian was found frozen to death in his home in the town of Zagarolo, east of Rome.

The winter weather temporarily closed Milan's two airports, halted trains in the normally sunny south of France and pressed into service ice breakers in the Dutch port of Rotterdam. But it also sent Dutch skaters storming onto canals, and earned chimpanzees in Rome s zoo hot tea and cookies for extra calories.

Milan's Malpensa and Linate airports shut down briefly, then struggled to overcome a morning of delays and cancellations when the facilities reopened in the early afternoon. The city, Italy's financial capital, had to dig out from a foot (30 centimeters) of snow, and the airport authority said flight crews and other workers had been unable to reach the airports.

Snow blanketing much of northwestern Italy delayed trains up to three hours as the Italian railway had to slow track speeds. Schools closed in many cities.

Source : PTI