Ukraine death toll from cold rises to 122

A general view of central Kiev at temperature around minus 18 degrees Celsius (minus 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit) is seen February 3, 2012.

KIEV (Reuters) - Twenty-one more deaths from a sudden cold spell have been registered in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, pushing up to 122 the toll from icy temperatures gripping the former Soviet republic, the Emergencies Ministry said on Saturday.

Ukraine is experiencing the coldest winter in six years, registering overnight temperatures down as low as minus 33 Celsius (minus 27 Fahrenheit).

The ministry said that of the 122 people who have died over the past eight days, 78 were found dead on the streets, 32 in their homes and 12 succumbed while receiving medical treatment.

Many of the victims are homeless people who live rough through the year, according to the ministry. Hundreds of others have been treated in hospital for frostbite and hypothermia.

Nearly 1,600 people are being given hospital treatment for cold-related ailments, the ministry said.

In the capital, Kiev, which had night temperatures down to minus 20 C, there was a heavy snowfall. Its metro stations have become sanctuaries overnight for the homeless to find warmth.

More than 3,000 heated tents have been set up around the country to provide makeshift accommodation and dispense food and drinks to homeless people.

(Writing by Richard Balmforth; Editing by Alison Williams)