MOSCOW, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Seven more people died of exposure to extreme cold overnight Friday as Moscow continued to endure the coldest temperatures in 26 years.
A total of 18 people have died of the cold in Moscow since the cold snap arrived late Monday from western Siberia.
A weather service official told Ekho Moskvy radio that temperatures in Moscow were unlikely to rise above minus 20 Celsius, or minus 4 Fahrenheit, before February.
The Moscow Times reported Friday that thousands of people in Moscow region towns were left without heat Thursday when hot water pipes burst.
A number of power substations in Moscow and suburbs have been running at their maximum or were overloaded due to skyrocketing demand for electricity, Interfax reported. Earlier in the week, electricity suppliers ordered power cuts at more than 250 industrial enterprises in Moscow and the Moscow region.
First Deputy Moscow Mayor Pyotr Aksyonov on Thursday tried to encourage businesses to close Thursday and Friday and to work Saturday and Sunday instead, but it was unclear how many businesses complied with the voluntary measure, The Moscow Times reported.
