Two Hungarians, a man and a woman, were lost on Sunday in hostile weather in the mountains north of the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, according to the STA news agency, adding that the rescue mission, suspended during the night due to strong winds, low visibility and risk of avalanche, and was resumed today.

However, a helicopter was unable to take off, making it impossible to rescue the couple who remains at an altitude of 1,700 meters, officials and media said.

In neighbouring Croatia, traffic was banned on most roads in the central Lika region and on some sections of highways.

Storms along the Adriatic coast also shut down ferries to the islands.

Authorities in both countries urged citizens to avoid travel due to the bad weather.

Meanwhile, Bosnia’s government suspended classes at schools in a part of the north-west of the country due to heavy snow.

Nearly 200,000 households faced power cuts, while trucks and other heavy vehicles were banned from driving in many parts.

The storm is forecast to move towards Serbia, where forecasters warned people in western parts of the country to avoid travel and prepare for possible power cuts.

ef/ro/ehl