Balkans weather: Snowstorm leaves thousands without power

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina –

Tens of thousands of homes in Bosnia were without electricity on Tuesday after more heavy snow and winds that also brought traffic chaos in neighbouring Croatia and Serbia.

In Slovenia, the resumption of a search for an injured Hungarian hiker missing in the Alps north of the capital Ljubljana since Sunday was temporarily suspended because of strong winds.

Rescuers on Monday reached his female companion and transferred her to safety, but they were unable to locate the man and couldn’t use a helicopter because of strong winds.

Throughout the Balkans authorities issued travel warnings as snow drifts closed some major routes, including sections of motorways in Croatia.

Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia banned the movement of heavy vehicles and imposed limited traffic levels on affected roads.

Parts of Bosnia faced a total halt of railway traffic because of the snow.

Bosnia’s state power company described the situation as “extremely hard” in some areas of the country. The weight of heavy, moist snow brought down distribution lines which are hard to access due to snow drifts, the company said in a statement.

Regional N1 television reported dozens of vehicles were stuck in the snow for 10 hours in western Bosnia overnight before they could continue. Authorities in the nearby town of Drvar declared an emergency while struggling to clear snow.

The town’s municipal council president Jasna Pecanac told the Drvar radio that the town has been cut off. “Many of our residents are stuck in the snow,” she said. “The situation is very hard as the snow continues to fall.”