An elderly couple died of suspected carbon-monoxide poisoning from a generator they were using at their home in central Italy's mountainous Abruzzo region due to a power outage caused by heavy snows.
The couple were found dead on Thursday at their home in the remote mountain village of Brittoli in the province of Pescara and had been without electricity since Monday, local daily Il Pescara reported on its website.
Brittoli is blanketed in 1.5 metres of snow, villagers are without electrical power and heating, and food supplies are running out, the paper said.
Central Italy's mountainous spine has been hit by unusually heavy snowfall this week, four strong earthquakes and a deadly avalanche on Wednesday that hit a ski hotel in the hamlet of Farindola in Abruzzo's national park.