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Ice storm cripples north-east US

December 15, 2008 00:00:00


As many as 1m people have been left without power in the north-eastern US after one of the worst ice storms in a decade crippled the electricity grid, reports CNN.
States of emergency have been declared in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and in parts of Maine and New York state.
Officials say the damage is extensive and it could take several days before all power is restored. Temperatures are forecast to remain below freezing. At least four people are so far thought to have died as a result of the storm.
The body of a public works supervisor was recovered from a reservoir in Marlborough, Massachusetts, Saturday, a day after he responded to a call about tree branches downed by the storm.
Meanwhile, a man in Danville, New Hampshire, died of carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the generator he was using to heat his camper van. A couple also died in Glenville, New York, when a generator filled their house with the gas.
A severe ice storm in December last year was blamed for the deaths of at least 22 people in the central US.
About 1.4 million homes and businesses across the four affected states were left without electricity on Friday morning after a widespread overnight ice storm coated power lines, pylons and trees.
New Hampshire Governor John Lynch on Saturday warned those affected that they should not expect power to be restored for several days.

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