Blizzard: State of emergency in 10 states, at least nine dead

At least nine people have died in the US due to a severe snowstorm that has hit a large part of the East Coast, and which is expected to last until tomorrow morning, reports the Patria News Agency.

However, officials warn that the worst is yet to come. A potentially paralyzing blizzard has been raging since yesterday over the southern and eastern parts of the US, endangering 85 million people, causing a large number of flights to be cancelled this weekend, and 10 states have declared a state of emergency, American media report.

Extremely bad weather conditions have claimed nine lives in the US, six of them in North Carolina, one in Virginia, and one in Kentucky.

Nearly 133,000 citizens across the Southeast are without power, while 8,835 flights were cancelled yesterday and today, reports CNN.

The blizzard, which could bury parts of the US Mid-Atlantic region under 90 centimeters of snow, has also hit Washington, threatening the US capital with record drifts.

Traffic jams up to 30 kilometers long have formed on highways in Pennsylvania and Kentucky, and some travelers have been buried in drifts for more than 12 hours.