Serbia, Bosnia struggle under record cold snap

BELGRADE, Serbia — Overwhelmed by record snow and harsh temperatures, Serbia and Bosnia closed down schools and struggled to continue public transport and garbage pick-up Monday, as authorities focused on trying to help thousands trapped in the region's remote mountain villages.

Europeans across the continent were continuing to dig out from heavy snow after a week of bitter cold in which the death toll, mostly homeless people, continues to rise into the hundreds. Temperatures have fallen as low as minus 33 Fahrenheit (minus 36 Celsius) in Ukraine, the hardest-hit country.

The big freeze has caused traffic chaos throughout Europe, blocking roads, and shutting down airports from the U.K. to Russia.

But it has also offered opportunities for snowy fun: Ice skaters in the Netherlands were hopeful they could stage a race that hasn't happened in more than a decade; children in Rome and along the usually temperate Adriatic coast in Croatia frolicked in rare snow; and Bosnians in the capital, Sarajevo, spontaneously organized a winter "Olympics" in which they boarded down main streets and leapt out of windows into deep snow banks.

The Serbian government late on Sunday declared an emergency situation, saying the intense snowfall has jeopardized normal functioning. Emergency officials said that 70,000 people were cut off by the heavy snow.

"I hope the emergency measures will lead to better functioning of the rescue efforts," said emergency official Goran Nikolic.

They included shutting down all primary schools and high schools for a week to save power and keep children safe. Thrilled, hundreds of kids filled the parks in the capital, Belgrade, sliding and making snow angels.

In Bosnia, hundreds of villages are cut off behind snowed-in roads and avalanches and authorities were using helicopters to evacuate the sick and deliver food. Authorities said they have had no contact for 72 hours with about 120 people in the central village of Zijemlja, where residents have no electricity or phone lines.

"There are several small hamlets with children and elderly people — and we are not able to help them," said Radovan Palavstra, mayor of the nearby city of East Mostar.

Emergency official Milimir Doder said his teams must clear 20 kilometers (12 miles) of road before they can get to the village.

In the capital, Sarajevo, thousands of people trudged to work on Monday, with only occasional buses braving the deep snow. Volunteers, meanwhile, cleared tram lines themselves.