Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Monday that at least five people have died and 19 injured as a result of a severe storm in the country’s southern region of Odesa.

A severe snowstorm hit Ukraine overnight Monday, causing traffic disruptions and power outages in 17 regions, authorities said.

More than 1,500 settlements in the country have been left without electricity as strong winds damaged power grids, the country’s Energy Ministry said on social media.

The southern Odesa and Mykolaiv regions, the central Dnipropetrovsk region, and the northern Kiev region were affected the most by the blizzard, said the ministry.