The number has halved since Monday, according to the interior ministry in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous.

Some 250,000 people were left without electricity after the heaviest snow in the region in more than 100 years damaged about 50 electrical poles on Friday, plunging much of the area around the city of Muenster near the Dutch border into darkness.

At the weekend repair teams restored electricity to about 225,000 people.

Police said that hazardous road conditions led to some 2,000 accidents with some 140 injuries and millions of euros (dollars) in damage.

A 52-year-old homeless man froze to death under a pedestrian bridge.

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