THESE remarkable photographs reveal the fate of an unlucky fox after it fell into a river amid blizzards across Europe that have claimed the lives of 60 people.
The poor creature is thought to have fallen through thin ice on the Danube river in Germany around four days ago before being discovered by a hunter.
11 The unfortunate fox was found entombed in ice after being cut out of the Danube river in GermanyCredit: AP:Associated Press
11 The poor creature is thought to have fallen through thin ice on the Danube riverCredit: Johannes Stehle
11 It fell into a river amid blizzards across Europe that have claimed the lives of 60 peopleCredit: Johannes Stehle
Franz Stehle told news agency dpa that he extracted the block of ice containing the animal on January 2.
He then put it on display outside his family’s hotel in Fridingen to warn others of the dangers of the icy river.
The town is on the upper reaches of the Danube, close to its source in southwestern Germany.
11 A car that crashed in icy conditions in Germany lies overturned at the side of the roadCredit: Alamy
11 The country is among dozens that have been gripped by freezing temperaturesCredit: Alamy
Stehle says it’s not unusual for animals to break through the frozen surface of the river in winter and claims to have seen a frozen deer and wild boar before.
Since the end of last week, the winter cold snap across Europe has killed at least 60 people.
The World Meteorological Organization said in a statement that the high-pressure weather system was “moving slowly eastwards over Europe”.
Winds of up to 90 mph hit France’s Channel port of Dieppe overnight, while parts of Germany were bracing for up to 12 inches of snow today, according to German weather officials.
11 The image of the fox encased in ice bears a striking resemblance to Scrat in Ice AgeCredit: 20th Century Fox
11 A man walks through a blizzard hitting snow-covered streets in Thessaloniki, GreeceCredit: EPA
11 Migrants warm themselves by a fire in front of an abandoned warehouse in SerbiaCredit: AP:Associated Press
Overnight in France, a woman was killed by a falling tree in her garden in a village near the Mediterranean resort of Nice, while another woman in Albania was found dead on Thursday outside her home in the southern town of Saranda.
A French official said: “She died in front of her children. Her husband immediately tried to help by cutting the tree but it was too late.”
The storm, officially named Egon, also battered Belgium and Germany, where the key international hub of Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 flights.
Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris, while 180 passengers were forced to spend a chilly night on a high-speed Thalys train from Brussels to the French capital that finally arrived 10 hours late.
11 Romanian cops use shovels to clear snow outside a school in BucharestCredit: AP:Associated Press
11 Zeus’s Temple in Greece was also left covered in a dusting of snowCredit: Getty Images
