Swathes of Europe have been covered in a white blanket of thick snow for much of this year. The deep snow has caused travel chaos on the ground, blocking highways and leaving villages cut off. From the air, however, it looks magical. IBTimes UK presents drone photos of the winter wonderland that is Europe.

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A forest on the borders of a lake in Treplin, eastern Germany, on on 12 November 2016 and 17 January 2017 (Photo: Patrick Pleul/AFP)
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A drone view of a crossroads lined with trees in autumn near Sieversdorf, eastern Germany, on 30 October 2016 and 17 January 2017 (Photo: Patrick Pleul/AFP)
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An aerial view of a meadow surrounded by trees near Treplin, eastern Germany, on 16 May 2016 and 17 January 2017 (Photo: Patrick Pleul/AFP)

All this snow and ice may look pretty, but one fox came to a nasty end on the frozen river Danube in southern Germany. It fell through the thin ice that covered the river and drowned and became trapped in the ice. A local hunter found the frozen fox days later and cut it – encased in a block of ice – out of the river.

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13 January 2017: A block of ice with a fox encased in it is seen on the banks of the river Danube in Fridingen, southern Germany. The fox fell through thin ice on the river and drowned and was later cut out of the ice by a hunter Johannes Stehle/AFP