Snow traps thousands in Bosnian villages

Bosnian authorities on Sunday used 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.

Sunday, February 05, 2012
Turkish soldiers, members of the European Union Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, shovel snow from tracks beneath a frozen tram Sunday in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.

Bosnian authorities on Sunday used 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.Across Eastern Europe, thousands of people were digging themselves out from heavy snow that followed a weeklong cold snap that has killed hundreds.More than 100 remote Bosnian villages are cut off by snow over 6 1/2 feet high in the mountains. More than 3 feet has fallen in the capital Sarajevo, where a state of emergency has been declared.Three helicopters cruised over eastern Bosnia Sunday, delivering food and picking people who needed evacuation.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.In neighboring Serbia, officials said 70,000 people remain cut off. So far, 32 municipalities throughout the country have introduced emergency measures, said senior emergency official Predrag Maric.Later Sunday, the country’s emergency board will hold a session that will be chaired by Interior Minister Ivica Dacic.