Snowstorm Wreaks Havoc in Bosnia, Thousands Still Without Electricity

Initial Impact

Tens of thousands of people in Bosnia were still without electricity on Friday due to a snowstorm that started on Sunday night. The storm initially left more than 170,000 people without electricity and cut off parts of the Balkan nation.

Current Situation

Although the weather has improved across the country, local officials and power firms said thousands of people were still cut off by blocked roads and tens of thousands of households were without electricity, notably in northern Bosnia.

Rescue Efforts

Meanwhile, a weather station employee was found dead in the snow on a mountain near the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on Friday after a four-day search, rescue services said. The 46-year-old man, who had been walking towards the station located at the Bjelasnica mountain summit at 2,067 metres (6,781 feet) altitude, was reported missing by a colleague at midday Tuesday.

Search and Recovery

The Sarajevo region mountain rescue services “found a body on the southeast flank of Bjelasnica that we believe to be of the missing employee”, the leader of the rescue operation Nermin Demir said on Facebook. More than 50 rescuers had joined in the search, which was particularly difficult due to thick fog and strong winds. The snow cover at the Bjelasnica summit measured 174 centimetres (68 inches) while snowdrifts were up to three meters high, according to rescuers.

Challenges in Northern Bosnia

The situation was also difficult in many villages around Knezevo, 140 kilometres (87 miles) northwest of Sarajevo, whose mayor Goran Borojevic declared a state of emergency. “Teams from the electricity company are repairing outages to villages, but it’s difficult to reach some outage areas in a layer of snow more than a metre high,“ he told the Bosnian Serb television channel RTRS.

Conclusion

The snowstorm has caused significant disruptions to daily life in Bosnia, with thousands still without electricity. Rescue efforts are ongoing, and local officials are working to restore power to affected areas. The situation is expected to improve as the weather continues to clear.

FAQs

* How many people were initially affected by the snowstorm?
+ More than 170,000 people were initially left without electricity.
* How many people are still without electricity?
+ Thousands of people are still without electricity, with tens of thousands of households affected.
* What is the current situation in northern Bosnia?
+ The situation is difficult, with many villages cut off by blocked roads and tens of thousands of households without electricity.
* What is the cause of the difficulty in reaching some outage areas?
+ The layer of snow is more than a metre high, making it difficult for teams to reach some areas.