SARAJEVO, Dec.17 (Xinhua) -- Due to heavy snowfall and low temperatures, authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina(BiH)'s municipalities of Konjic and Jablanica, located 70 kilometers southwest of Sarajevo, declared a state of emergency on Monday.
Snow has been constantly falling since Saturday, interrupting road traffic, power supply and telephone connections, the civil protection authority of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton (HNK) said in a press release.
The depth of the snow cover in Jablanica has reached 50 centimeters, and several main and local roads are closed to traffic.
"On several occasions, there was a halt on the M17 highway," the press statement said, adding that several settlements are left without electricity.
The snow cover and lack of electricity caused a train to sit idle for one hour because the track was impassible.
Children will not be attending school on Monday and Tuesday, HNK spokesman Pero Pavlovic confirmed to local media on Monday.
BiH's Federal Hydrometeorological Institute (FHMZ) has forecast fog and low clouds with morning air temperatures varying between minus 8 degrees Celsius and minus 4 degrees Celsius, adding that mostly cloudy weather can be expected until Thursday.
Rainfall is expected on Thursday in major parts of the country, with snowfall in the mountain areas. Morning temperatures will vary between minus 5 degrees Celsius and 0 degree Celsius, and the highest daytime temperature will not exceed 5 degrees Celsius.
