London ( CNN ) -- Sub-zero temperatures continued to keep eastern Europe in their grip Wednesday , leading to the deaths of 31 people in Ukraine so far , emergency officials there said . For several days , unusually cold weather and snow have slammed Eastern Europe , as well as other parts of Europe and central and western Turkey . CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said the heart of the cold air was still centered over Eastern Europe Wednesday , including Russia , Romania , Belarus and Poland as well as Ukraine , with temperatures generally a couple of degrees lower Wednesday than the day before . The Romanian capital , Bucharest , saw a low of -23 degrees Celsius ( -9.4 degrees Fahrenheit ) early Wednesday , compared with an average low of -4 degrees Celsius ( 25 degrees Fahrenheit ) at this time of year . Ukraine 's capital , Kiev , was shivering at -22 degrees Celsius ( -7.6 degree Fahrenheit ) , with the mercury expected to drop to -31 degrees Celsius ( -23.8 degree Fahrenheit ) during the night . Most of the dead in Ukraine were homeless but some people died in their homes , the country 's Emergencies Ministry said . The death toll has risen sharply since two days ago , the ministry said . Almost 700 people have also been hospitalized with injuries related to the freeze . In several regions of Ukraine , including Kiev , entire housing complexes have been left without electricity or heating because of power failures . Schools are likely to close Thursday as temperatures are expected to drop below -24 degrees Celsius ( -11.2 degrees Fahrenheit ) , officials said . The Emergencies Ministry is doing everything possible to combat the weather and has set up 1,600 heating centers across the country to assist people without power or heating , it said . Temperatures could drop at the weekend to -30 degrees Celsius ( -22 degrees Fahrenheit ) in the daytime , the ministry warned . The health ministry said most of the deaths had occurred in eastern Ukraine , in the city of Donetsk and adjacent towns and villages . In Poland , five people died overnight , taking the total number of deaths to 15 since the icy weather rolled in Friday , the publicly-funded Polish Radio 's news website reported Wednesday . Most of those who died were homeless . Elsewhere , the bad weather was blamed for the sinking of a cargo ship carrying scrap metal off Turkey 's Black Sea coast late Tuesday . Divers , helicopters and coast guard ships have been scrambled in an effort to find eight missing crew members from the Cambodian-flagged ship Vera . In Istanbul , Turkey 's largest city , the municipality mobilized nearly 2,600 personnel and more than 870 vehicles to try to keep roads open , as snow reached depths of up to 38 centimeters ( 1.2 feet ) . The unusual snowfall forced the cancellation and delay of scores of flights , as visibility was occasionally reduced to less than 50 meters ( 164 feet ) mid-morning Wednesday . Istanbul also suspended its high-speed sea bus service , which ferries passengers up and down the Bosphorus Strait and stretches of the Marmara Sea . According to the Istanbul municipality 's website , at least 378 homeless citizens have been brought to shelters and hotels to escape the freezing temperatures . One man died when he fell in a well that was covered by snow moments after having his photo taken in the record snow , the mayor 's office said . More snow and bitter cold temperatures are expected Thursday from Edirne to Istanbul , with the heaviest snowfall expected in the Marmara region . Turkey 's cold spell is forecast to ease Friday . The cold air also pushed westward Wednesday , with Paris dipping to -5 degrees Celsius ( 23 degrees Fahrenheit ) . The French capital may not top the freezing mark until the middle of next week , said Miller . In Italy , several professional soccer matches have been canceled or postponed due to the icy weather , according to Italy 's ANSA news agency . One weather-related death , that of a one-year-old child trapped in a car swept into a gully , has been reported in Siracusa , Sicily , the news agency said . The cold will not loosen its grip on most of continental Europe until next week , Miller said , although parts of southeastern Europe and the Balkans could see temperatures begin to moderate on Friday as a result of a low pressure system moving in from the Mediterranean Sea . This system will also dump heavy snowfall in the Balkans , mirroring the recent snow storm which ushered in the cold blast for many locations in southeast Europe . Journalist Alexey Yaroshevsky and CNN 's Talia Kayali , Laura Smith-Spark and Theo Nikolaou contributed to this report .
The heart of the cold air is centered over Eastern Europe , a CNN meteorologist says . More than 30 people have died as a result of the cold in Ukraine , officials say . Even colder weather and heavy snow are forecast later this week for some areas . The icy conditions are spreading westward across Europe .