Croatian authorities closed all roads connecting the continent to the country on Sunday. Adriatic Sea coastline due to heavy snowfall and strong winds which caused traffic problems in the country and elsewhere in the Balkans.
The sudden winter episode in Croatia, Serbia And Bosnia this weekend came after days of unseasonably warm weather. In Serbia, residents in the north of the country woke up to a snow-covered landscape while temperatures in the south reached 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Columns of cars formed on the roads leading to the Croatian coast. Authorities have opened a former refugee center and daycare to stranded drivers until roads reopen.
The center in Gracac, a town in the central Lika region, received 80 people, Croatian news agency HINA reported.
Croatian media reported that many people were stuck in their cars far from the centers, which they could only reach on foot.
Bad weather also disrupted ferry lines connecting Croatia’s mainland coast to the country’s islands.
Earlier, Croatian police reported that a bus had overturned, killing one person and injuring several others. The accident happened shortly before midnight on Saturday in western Croatia, police said.
The bus with Albanian license plates slid to the side of the road, hit the road barrier and overturned. It was carrying nine people and the driver.
Traffic problems were also reported in Serbia and Bosnia. Serbian authorities banned the movement of trailer trucks and reported a slowdown in traffic throughout the region.
In Serbia and Bosnia, wet and heavy snow caused branches and trees to fall, sometimes blocking roads. In the western Serbian town of Uzice, a tree collapsed onto a pedestrian path, hitting a woman with young children, but causing no serious injuries.