New Delhi: At least 30 people lost their lives in a massive winter storm that swept across the United States, leaving half a million people without power and paralysing the transport network.

The snowfall caused blizzards from the deep south to the northeast, leaving more than 5,60,000 homes without electricity. The snow is dumped more than a foot across a wide corridor from Arkansas to New England.

Schools have been shut down indefinitely, air travel has been disrupted, and major roads have been blocked in several areas, plunging to minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to a report from the Associated Press, at least 30 people have been killed due to hazardous weather conditions. Officials confirmed that two people were stuck and killed by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio.

Eight people lost their lives in New York City during a frigid weekend, and teenagers died in sledding accidents in Arkansas and Texas, though officials are investigating the exact cause of death and whether the victims were homeless or not.

A 28-year-old teacher’s body was found in the snow after she left a bar without her coat in Kansas.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that several people who died had prior interactions with the shelter system. He also urged residents to move indoors when the temperatures remain below freezing.

“Just because the storm has passed does not mean that the danger to homeless New Yorkers has passed,” Zohran Mamdani stated on Monday.

“Outreach teams are only intensifying their efforts today to connect vulnerable New Yorkers to shelter,” he added.

Eight people were found dead or moved to the hospitals and then died between the evening of January 23 and the afternoon of January 26.

Brooklyn had opened 10 additional warming centres at schools, and more than 200 people took shelter from the streets as of Monday, according to City Hall. The authority is trying to bring more people indoors.