Several dead, air, train services hit in US due to blizzard

Called ‘Snowzilla’, the blizzard propelled by tropical-storm-force winds that brought much of US Northeast to a standstill and left as much as three feet of snow, prompting at least 10 States to declare a state of emergency. 

Some 85 million residents were affected due to the blizzard as life in major cities including New York and the capital Washington DC came to a grinding halt, with thousands of people left powerless and thousands of flights cancelled. At least 18 people were killed in incidents of car crashes, shovelling snow and hypothermia as the blizzard dumped between 15-25 inches of snow. Metro services in Washington DC have also been stopped. 

Meanwhile, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Sunday struck southern Alaska, seismologists said. The quake occurred at 4 pm (IST) near Pedro Bay at a depth of 104 km, according to scientists with the US Geological Survey. It was not immediately known if there were any loss of life, injuries or damage.