BELGRADE, Serbia — Almost 6,000 people in Serbia remain cut off by snow, officials said Friday, even as temperatures start to rise and authorities braced for possible flooding from melting snow and ice.
Emergency official Predrag Maric said 5,599 people stranded in remote areas by walls of snow and unpassable roads can still only be reached by helicopter weeks after the cold snap hit much of Europe.
More than 650 people have died so far in Europe’s coldest winter in decades. Snow and the record cold spell have paralyzed many countries, closing down schools and nurseries, and halting traffic.
The record low temperatures have also left rivers frozen, including Europe’s longest waterway, the Danube, where shipping has been halted for days causing millions of euros in losses for businesses along its banks.
With temperatures rising above freezing, Maric says a meeting of Serbia’s emergency team this weekend will focus on flood prevention along the Danube and other rivers.
The sudden thaw has left many people struggling with leaking roofs and in danger from falling ice and snow. A 45-year-old woman was seriously injured Thursday when snow fell on her in a residential part of Belgrade.
In the central town of Kragujevac, entire departments at the local hospital had to be moved because of water pouring down the walls and from ceilings.
Education ministry officials said they will decide later Friday what schools will be ready to reopen Monday after two weeks of suspended classes.
