PARIS, Jan 8: Estimating that 80 per cent of the homeless in Paris are foreigners, authorities in the Paris region say they have made special arrangements to make the situation more livable for them as the French capital enters its fifth night of record low temperatures.

Paris is reeling from a wave of freezing temperatures — the lowest being minus eight degrees Centigrade.

Besides providing such traditional facilities as interpreters — the foreigners come from such out-of-the-way places as Liberia, Iraq, Bulgaria, Mali and Romania — Paris city authorities say that they’ve decided to significantly increase the number of beds to be made available in their traditional shelters for the homeless, known locally as SDF’s (Sans domicile fixe).

Although 3000 places in the homeless shelters have been ready since before Christmas, and were taken by storm already last weekend when the current cold spell began — after a surprise snowstorm on Saturday and Sunday left a 15-centimetre coat of snow and ice — the officials said they will shortly add an additional 2,700 beds, and even more if need be.