SARAJEVO, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Alliance of Mountain Rescue Service (GSS) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has issued a warning on Sunday of the very high possibility of avalanches on mountains across the country.
"Due to large amounts of new snow, there is a great danger of avalanches, which is why skiers and mountaineers should be particularly careful," GSS stated on its website on Sunday.
In the warning, GSS advises skiers to strictly keep to the ski slopes, and hikers not to go on steep slopes and unmarked routes.
"The hiking should be avoided when snow is falling. As a rule, only 24 or 48 hours after the snow stops falling, hiking is allowed, because at that time, there is less danger of avalanches and other accidents on the slopes," GSS said, adding that those who find themselves in the mountains during the snow falling should find a temporary shelter.
Before going to the mountains, hikers should prepare a route map and be informed in advance and should hike on the marked routes since there are still mines left from the 1992-1995 war.
More than a hundred members of rescuing services are searching for a 22-years-old Bosnian missing on Ponijeri Mountain near Kakanj, some 50 kilometers northwest of Sarajevo. The man went missing on Friday, Jan. 4, and the great problem to rescuers is the snow of one and a half meters deep, avalanches, very strong winds reaching speeds up to 90 kilometers per hour and low temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius.
