Two homeless men were found dead in France this weekend as temperatures plummeted to their lowest at this time of year since 2005. There were snow and ice warnings in the Alps as the cold front that originated in Siberia crossed Europe and hit France, reports RFI.
A 35-year-old homeless man was found dead by his companions in the south-eastern city of Valence on Sunday and on Friday the body of a 62-year-old who lived in a cabin in the woods near Paris was also found.
Both probably died because of the cold, officials said.
As temperatures drop to as low as -10°C in the east of the country, the authorities have ordered 3,100 emergency accommodation places to be opened, 500 of them in Paris.
Police in Paris report that most homeless people have gone to shelters, apart from migrants, many of whom are unaware of the arrangements or may fear deportation.
The cold front has been dubbed "Moscow-Paris", coming as it does from Russia, where the thermometer was expected to fall to -35°C in the centre of the country.