Snow Traps Thousands In Bosnian Villages

Published February 5, 2012 10:54AM (EST)

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian authorities have started using helicopters to evacuate sick people and deliver food to thousands of people who have been cut off by the heaviest snow the country has ever recorded.

More than 100 remote villages are cut off by snow over two meters (6 1/2 feet) high in the mountains. More than a meter (three feet) has fallen in the capital Sarajevo.

Three helicopters cruised over eastern Bosnia Sunday, delivering food and picking up sick people.

Sarajevo has been paralyzed since Friday evening and authorities have ordered all schools closed. Residents have volunteered to remove snow and ice from the trams that are stuck along the city's tracks.

Bosnia's government declared a state of emergency in its capital on Saturday after a weeklong cold snap that has killed scores of people across Eastern Europe.


By Salon Staff

MORE FROM Salon Staff


Related Topics ------------------------------------------