Glazed ice and slippery conditions to last until Wednesday morning
The slippery conditions seen across the country today, which have caused hundreds of accidents, are expected to last until 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Due to melting ice and freezing rain, glazed ice formed on roads across the country on Tuesday. The state weather service is forecasting that similar contitions will continue until 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Earlier today the Transport Board said the conditions on roads across the country are extremely difficult. The police said between 11 .am. and 4 p.m. more than 200 traffic accidents had been reported by telephone, the majority in Tallinn and Harju County.
The police have asked cyclists and pedestrians to be careful and told drivers to avoid driving. Tallinn City Government has requested drivers be careful.
The North Estonian Medical Center (PERH) in Tallinn wrote on social media on Tuesday afternoon that new patients in need of medical assistance after falling are arriving in the trauma center every 2-3 minutes.
"We definitely recommend avoiding walking outside now, especially for older people. Both falls and car accidents have increased due to the slippery conditions," PERH wrote.
At the East Tallinn Central Hospital the queue is not approximately five to six hours long. "The workload at accident and emergency is about four times higher than usual," said Märt Põlluveer, the head of A&E, told ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" on Tuesday.
The roads were so slippery in Tallinn on Tuesday, that Delfi news portal published a video of ice skaters skating on the roads of Uus Maailm district.
The State Weather Service has issued a level one warning and said: "High risk of glazed ice! Possible freezing rain, In eastern region possible snow drift."
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Editor: Helen Wright