At least three dead in severe storm in Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic

© Provided by News 360 Roads collapsed on Friday in Slovakia due to heavy snowfalls - Adriána Hudecová/TASR/dpa

The severe snow and wind storm sweeping across regions of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic has killed at least three people on Saturday in weather-related incidents.

According to the provincial headquarters of the State Fire Service in Katowice, Poland, an elderly woman lost her life in the town of Cisiec, near the country's southern border with Slovakia, after a tree fell on her house due to the strong wind.

The second victim died in Gdansk, a port city in Poland, when her car hit a tree, according to TVN24 channel, which also reported more than 140 traffic accidents in connection with the winter storm.

Also on Saturday, a 77-year-old woman was killed in a collision between two cars in the municipality of Wiazownica, near the town of Jaroslaw, in eastern Poland. According to initial investigations reported by the Polish news channel, the woman lost control of the vehicle and swerved into the oncoming lane.

Meanwhile, Slovakia is suffering from extremely strong winds and snowfall in the north of the country, for which the authorities have declared an emergency situation in some of the municipalities. The Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) has issued a first and second degree warning for several districts.

Also, several ski resorts have had to close due to inclement weather and a hurricane has been reported in the Chopek region, according to Slovak news channel TA3.

In the Czech Republic, trees falling on power lines have caused a power outage in thousands of homes, the Czech news agency CTK said. In addition, near the town of Jablonné nad Orlicí, near the Polish border, emergency services had to assist several people who were trapped in their vehicles.

Source: (EUROPA PRESS)