Two people died and nearly a million without power following an ice storm that hit eastern Canada on Thursday and caused widespread damage, mainly in Montreal.

The storm hit Canada’s most populous provinces – Quebec and Ontario – causing the most damage to Quebec’s power grid since 1998.

Authorities reported two deaths: a resident of eastern Ontario hit by a falling tree the day before, and a man hit in Quebec by a branch he was trying to cut in his garden.

“This is a difficult day for Montrealers and Quebecers and Ontarians who are suffering from electrical damage,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Road services worked overnight to clear streets and roads blocked by thousands of fallen trees under the weight of ice and damaged power lines.

“Montreal is devastated”, but the situation is “under control”, declared in a press conference the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy of Quebec, Pierre Fitzgibbon, while new warnings of rain freezing were lifted.

Shelters have been set up to accommodate residents without electricity, with temperatures close to 0°C. Power restoration work can take days.

In total, approximately 1 million Canadians are still without electricity today, the majority in Quebec.

Since last night, Montreal has been covered with a thick layer of ice. Preliminary data shows three to four centimeters of ice fell on the city within hours.

“It was the worst ice storm in 20 years,” retired Jean-Marc Grondin, 64, who lives in the city center, told AFP.

“Unfortunately, with climate change, we can think that there will be more and more events of this type in the years to come,” said François Legault, premier of the province of Quebec.

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