BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Thousands of people in Northern Ireland remained without water Thursday because of bursting water mains caused by severe winter weather.
Northern Ireland Water officials said Wednesday they were unsure how long the crisis would last, The Sun reported. Some people have had no water in their homes for more than a week.
Liam Mulholland, a spokesman for the state-owned company, said part of the problem was finding and repairing burst pipes in empty houses.
At least 40,000 people were affected by the crisis. Bottled water was being distributed in Belfast, Scotland shipped more than 40,000 gallons of water to Northern Ireland and public fitness centers provided facilities for taking showers.
The province recently endured its worst winter weather in a quarter-century followed by a thaw. The BBC reported at least 80 communities had been affected.
Provincial ministers planned to meet Thursday to discuss the situation.
