Heavy snowfall in Romania and Moldova leaves 1 person dead and many without electricity

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Heavy snowfall and strong blizzards in Romania and Moldova on Sunday left one person dead and scores of localities without electricity, as well as forcing the closure of some national roads, authorities said.

A 40-year-old man in Moldova died on Sunday after the vehicle he was in skidded off the road and crashed into a tree, Moldova’s national police said, adding that six road accidents had been reported by about midday.

“We repeatedly appeal to drivers not to hit the road with unequipped cars and to drive at low speed,” Moldovan police said in a statement posted on Telegram, and warned against driving “without an urgent need.”

In Romania, red weather warnings were issued in the eastern counties of Constanta, Tulcea, Galati, and Braila where winds were forecast to reach as high as 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph), the National Meteorological Administration said.

Emergency authorities said that both national and local roads in the four counties were closed on Sunday. Emergency authorities in the counties of Constanta and Braila reported that at least 69 localities had been left without electricity but that teams had been deployed to fix the outages.

Other, less severe weather warnings were also issued to other counties throughout Romania on Sunday.