One of the worst ever cold spell in history of US plays havoc
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WASHINGTON - At least eight people have died in the US Midwest as the region shivers in the grip of its worst cold snap in decades.
An Iowa student found dead outside a college building is among the victims of the deadly freeze.
Hospitals have been treating patients reporting frostbite as life across a swathe of the nation grinds to a halt.
Ninety million people - a third of the US - have seen temperatures of -17C (0F) or below.
Some 250 million Americans overall have experienced the "polar vortex" conditions, but southern states such as Florida have escaped the brutal chill.
