BEIJING, December 27 (Xinhua) According to Reuters, the police said on the 26th that the death toll in western New York State due to the snowstorm in the Buffalo area rose to 27.
Much of the rest of the U.S. has been battered by harsh winter conditions, with the most violent winter storm in recent decades.
According to reports, since the formation of the blizzard, more than 1.2 meters of snow has fallen on Buffalo, the capital of Erie County.
Erie County Executive Mark Polonkaz described the blizzard as "probably the worst storm of our lifetimes."
On the 26th, the number of confirmed snowstorm-related deaths in Buffalo and other parts of Erie County climbed to 27 from 13 the previous night.
Polonkaz said the bodies of victims who died of heart attacks were found in cars buried in snowdrifts on the street.
More deaths were reported, Polonkaz said, but the county medical examiner still had to determine whether their deaths were directly attributable to the weather.
As of the morning of the 26th, about 14,000 residents in New York State were still without power.
Hundreds of National Guard soldiers are assisting in rescuing residents still trapped in their cars and without power at their homes, helping with health checks and delivering food and other supplies.
According to the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) statistics, at least 60 people across the United States were killed by snowstorms.