Winter exposure deaths climb to 127 in Poland

Poland has so far registered 127 deaths due to exposure as people are caught unprepared outdoors with wintry conditions prevailing across the country, figures showed Monday, dpa reported.

That includes eight deaths during the period of December 24-26 and represents six more deaths than during the entire October-December period in last year's winter, according to statistics kept by Polish police departments.

Of the 127 deaths so far this winter, 116 have been recorded in December. The statistics have been updated through December 26.

The agency recorded 289 deaths for the 2009/10 winter.

Authorities have appealed to the public to notify police if they see homeless people sleeping in parks so they can be taken to warm shelters.