The National Police Headquarters has reported a drastic increase in the number of victims of low temperatures. Since the beginning of November last year, 50 people have already lost their lives due to hypothermia. Two more deaths were recorded in just the last day. The situation is worsened by tragic incidents in cities, including the death of a 48-year-old man on a Warsaw tram and the discovery of a woman's body near a bus stop in Olsztynek.
Tragic Police Toll
Since the beginning of November, 50 people have died from hypothermia across the country, two of them in the last day.
Death in Public Transport
A 48-year-old man died after collapsing on a Warsaw tram despite immediate assistance.
Successful Interventions
In Silesia, police officers saved a man found in a state of extreme hypothermia in an abandoned building.
Appeal to React
Services remind of the duty to report people staying out in the cold by calling 112.
Police statistics cast a grim light on this winter. Since November 1, 50 deaths have been recorded where the direct cause was hypothermia. The latest data indicates that two people died in just one day, as confirmed by reports from the National Police Headquarters. A particularly drastic incident occurred in Warsaw, where a 48-year-old Ukrainian citizen collapsed and died on tram line 17. Despite attempted resuscitation, the man's life could not be saved. Emergency services are appealing for vigilance and to react upon seeing people exposed to the cold. In the Silesian Voivodeship, police officers conducted a successful rescue operation, pulling an extremely hypothermic man from an abandoned building, preventing another tragedy. Meanwhile, in Olsztynek, investigative actions are ongoing after a woman's body was found near a bus stop. Police remind that victims of low temperatures are not only homeless people but also seniors or individuals under the influence of alcohol, in whom the process of heat loss occurs much faster. In Poland, the system of aid for homeless people during the winter period is based on a network of night shelters and warming centers, whose number increased after the tragic winter of 2005/2006, when over 200 people died from hypothermia. Officers emphasize that one call to the emergency number can save a life. Places where people in need of help may be staying are monitored: stairwells, garden sheds, and basements. The RCB regularly issues warnings about severe frosts, suggesting limiting time outdoors during nighttime hours. The weather situation remains stable, but persistent sub-zero temperatures still pose a real threat to the life and health of citizens. Hypothermia Victims in Poland (cumulative): 2025-11-01: 0, 2025-12-01: 12, 2026-01-01: 28, 2026-02-22: 50 50 — people have died from the cold since November