Ice storm leaves half a million without power in US, Canada

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Repair crews worked to restore power to nearly half a million customers who faced a cold and dark Christmas in parts of north-eastern United States and eastern Canada after a weekend ice storm. At least 24 deaths have been linked to the storm, some from carbon monoxide poisoning as people struggle to stay warm.

In Canada, five people were reported dead from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. Police said two people in Ontario died after using a gas generator to heat their blacked-out home north-east of Toronto. Police in Quebec said carbon monoxide poisoning was believed to be the cause of three deaths in a chalet on the province's North Shore. Earlier, five people were killed in eastern Canada in highway crashes blamed on severe weather conditions.

In the US, the nationwide death toll from the storm reached at least 14 on Tuesday, when a 50-year-old man in Maine was overcome by carbon monoxide fumes from a generator. It was the second reported death attributed to fumes from a generator during the storm.

As temperatures plunged into the low single digits (below minus 15 deg C) in Toronto - where about 70,000 customers remained without power Christmas morning - authorities reported a dramatic jump in calls for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, responding to 110 calls in a 24-hour period. Officials said they typically see 20 such calls a day.