KYIV: Nearly 2,500 people were rescued after a snowstorm in Ukraine’s southern region of Odesa, local governor Oleh Kiper said, adding that 313 settlements in the region were without power as a result of the bad weather.

Odesa region, which lies on the shore of the Black Sea, has been hit by severe snowstorms since Sunday, stranding vehicles and downing power lines.

Winter storm causes power outages, road closures in Ukraine

“849 vehicles have been towed out, including 24 buses and 17 ambulances,” Kiper wrote on the Telegram app. He said all those trapped by the snow since the start of the snowstorm had now been rescued.