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Heavy snowstorm forces Balkans to stand still for Christmas!
Snowstorm paralyzes public services in the Balkans, especially in Bosnia-Herzegovina, bringing power outages and traffic chaos.
Heavy snowstorm forces Balkans to stand still for Christmas!
A devastating snowstorm has caused catastrophic conditions in several Balkan countries, particularly in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where tens of thousands of households are without power. As the state energy company Elektroprivreda BiH reported, there was an “extremely difficult” situation in many regions: the wet, heavy snow damaged numerous power lines, making many places difficult to reach. The snowfall began on Monday evening and quickly led to dramatic conditions; In the city of Gradacac, 50 centimeters of fresh snow fell within a short period of time, which led to massive traffic chaos. Motorists were stuck in their vehicles and some had to wait hours for help.
Emergency and rescue operations
The situation is getting worse as the challenges continue in Croatia and Serbia. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, a state of emergency was declared in the city of Drvar. Local council leader Jasna Pecanac said many residents were isolated by the snow and could not be reached. During rescue attempts, mountain rescuers in Croatia even had to use skis to save a snowed-in man who urgently needed dialysis. Luckily, the team managed to get him to the hospital in time.
Authorities in both countries have called on the population to avoid travel. This particularly affects northern and central Bosnia, where the cities of Zenica, Bihac and Gradacac were particularly hard hit. The poor condition of the roads, which became impassable due to the snowfall, also led to the suspension of train services in some regions. Travel warnings have also been issued and traffic on main roads is restricted. Storm-related weather conditions are also hampering rescue operations in neighboring Slovenia, where emergency services are having difficulty finding a missing hiker tagesschau.de reported.
The dramatic snowfall not only affects daily life, but also puts preparations for the holidays at risk. In this critical situation, it remains to be seen how quickly the affected regions can return to normal. Kosmo.at has also reported on the impact of the inclement weather and highlighted the ongoing challenges for local residents.