Britain is experiencing an Arctic blast of unseasonal weather.
Three children playing on an icy lake near Birmingham Sunday have died after falling through the ice. The BBC says the boys were aged eight, 11 and 12. A fourth boy, aged six, remains in the hospital in critical condition.
The Associated Press reported that emergency workers looked through the night for two other children who were thought to be with the group.
Reuters reported that two coal plants have been placed on standby “in case of a power crunch over winter.”
The snow and ice disrupted air, bus and rail transportation networks Monday, a day ahead of a planned national rail strike that was already expected to wreak havoc on transportation.
Schools were closed in many areas.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
