Balkans snowstorm leaves tens of thousands of homes without power and causes traffic chaos

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Tens of thousands of homes in Bosnia were without electricity on Tuesday after heavy snow and winds that also brought traffic chaos in neighboring Croatia and Serbia.

In Slovenia, the search for an injured Hungarian hiker missing in the Alps north of the capital, Ljubljana, since Sunday was suspended because of strong winds. Rescuers on Monday reached his female companion and transferred her to safety.

Throughout the Balkans authorities issued travel warnings as snow drifts closed some major routes. Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia banned the movement of heavy vehicles and imposed limited traffic levels on affected roads.

A mountain rescue team used skis early Tuesday to reach a man who was stuck in his car while heading to a hospital for dialysis in central Croatia.

“We brought him there in time,” rescuer Dario Cindric said.

Parts of Bosnia faced a total halt of railway traffic. And Bosnia's state power company described the situation as “extremely hard” in some areas of the country. Heavy, moist snow brought down distribution lines which were hard to access, it said in a statement.

Northwestern and western Bosnia were hit hardest by the storm. Residents in some areas were left without drinking water, while schools were shut for a second day.

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 town of Drvar declared an emergency while struggling to clear snow. Municipal council president Jasna Pecanac told local radio that the town was cut off. “Many of our residents are stuck in the snow,” she said.