Severe snowfall blocks Ukraine railways, roads

Kiev - Severe snowfall in Ukraine brought dozens of trains to a halt and blocked major roadways Monday, the Interfax news agency reported. The worst snowstorms were reported in the southern Odessa, Luhansk, and Mykolaiv provinces, with accumulated snowfall reportedly exceeding 30 centimeters at some locations since Sunday.

Most airports and seaports in those provinces were shut down or operating at limited capacity due to poor visibility and ice accumulation, according to the report.

A total of 28 trains, among them 22 carrying passengers, were reported stopped and waiting along routes across the country, as track clearing teams worked to remove snow.

Major inter-city roadways in the south of Ukraine also were blocked by snow, but motorists using highways in the central and northern portions of the country were still moving though with delays, according to a Ministry of Transport statement.

Low temperatures reaching to minus 18 centigrade at some locations were complicating but had not stopped the rail and road clearance effort, according to the statement.