Cold brings chaos to Europe

Temperatures around freezing point and icy rain: Black ice caused numerous accidents over the weekend. At least six people died in central Europe. And winter is taking its toll elswhere as well.

Sleet from Lyon to Lübeck

On Saturday, large parts of central Europe were hit by black ice. In the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania (above), police closed several motorways after numerous accidents. In Lower Saxony, in northwestern Germany, t

wo people died in a head-on collision. In France, four people died when a bus slid off the road near Lyon. Some

 20 people were injured.

Bleak outlook

The morning after the black ice, thick fog envelops much of central Europe. The Rhine can barely be seen from the windows of Deutsche Welle in Bonn, even though the river is just some 200 meters (yards) away. And the forecasts remain gloomy: Temperature

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s are meant to rise in the next few days, but winter could still be in for the long - and very cold - haul.