Parts of central Europe have been devastated by blizzards and freezing rain. A quarter of homes in Slovenia have been left without electricity after heavy snow and ice caused the collapse of power lines.
The Slovenian government said that more than 40 per cent of the country's Alpine forests have been damaged. Defence Minister Roman Jakis said during an emergency government meeting that the country has been hit by "a large-scale natural disaster."
Serbian government minister Aleksandar Antic said that more than 5,000 people have been evacuated in the past few days. Authorities used a military helicopter, tanks and armoured vehicles to reach stranded people.
In the southern Austrian province of Carinthia, bordering Slovenia, up to 3,000 homes were without electricity. Two rail routes connecting Austria with Italy were closed.
In southeastern Poland, some 20 villages were cut off by snow drifts.
A man walks past ice-covered road signs in Postojna, SloveniaReutersPeople walk past trees covered with ice in PostojnaReutersParked cars are encased in ice in PostojnaReutersA man shovels snow next to an ice-covered car in PostojnaReutersIcicles hang from power lines in PostojnaReutersAn ice-covered balcony is pictured in PostojnaReutersIn Postojna all cars are whiteReutersA woman and a child drag a sledge past a fallen electricity poleReutersA worker cuts the top of a ice-covered tree in PostojnaReutersIce covers a World War II monument in Pivka, SloveniaReutersA snowman encased in thick ice is seen in Prestranek, SloveniaReutersAn ice-covered steam locomotive is seen in Postojna railway stationReutersIce-covered, downed, power lines are seen in Postojna railway stationReutersTwo men walk past ice covered trees in PostojnaReutersA man standing on an ice-covered balcony in Pivka, Slovenia looks around his ice-covered neighbourhoodReutersMembers of the Slovenian army remove ice-covered fallen trees in PivkaReutersA man removes icicles from his roof in Prestranek, SloveniaReutersA power company worker repairs lines in ice-covered woods in Pivka, SloveniaReutersAn elderly man loads firewood in a wheelbarrow in Prestranek, SloveniaReuters
