Ice halts shipping

Record low temperatures on Thursday forced Serbian, Bulgarian, Croatian and Romanian authorities to shut down a 600-kilometer (373-mile) stretch of the Danube River, Europe's biggest waterway, as frost and vast amounts of ice blocked more than 90 percent of the heavily traveled river. Electricity rationing was also enforced for some Serbian companies.

The government ban will remain in place for around 10 days, affecting navigation on all the countries' waterways, the Serbian infrastructure minister said. "The rivers Danube, Sava and Tisa are frozen and that is why the navigation ban is issued," deputy infrastructure minister Pavle Galic told the Beta news agency. "It is expected that navigation will be possible in some 10 days," he added.

"The entire Sava river is blocked with ice, even around Belgrade," Serb official Milos Milovanovic said. "We will make maximum effort in the next 10 days or so to break the ice."

Key waterway

Europe's second largest river and its tributaries have frozen over in the recent cold snap that has been felt across the continent since late January. Serbian emergency officials have said the country's army will use explosives to break up ice and prevent flooding on the Danube and Ibar rivers. Authorities along the river have not ruled out bringing in ice-breakers from Hungary to assist in breaking up the floes.

Electricity consumption peaked on Wednesday causing state-run Serbian power utility provider EPS to impose a limit on supply to some high consumption firms which were "not of vital importance" it said. In the central town of Smederevska Palanka, temperatures plunged to a new low of minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18 Fahrenheit).

Furthermore, EPS warned households and companies to rein in power supply or it will be forced to restrict consumption.

Across Europe hundreds of people have died as a result of the deep freeze, and snow has trapped thousands in the Balkan mountain villages, prompting fears flooding may occur as the heavy snow melts. Flooding in Greece and Bulgaria on Monday and Tuesday left dozens of homes under water and at least eight people dead.

Along some parts of the Danube, ice is 15 centimeters (six inches) thick, but officials said it had not yet jeopardized the work of Serbia's largest hydropower plant, near the Romanian border.

The Danube flows 2860 kilometers (1,780 miles) through nine central and eastern European countries, and is vital for transport, irrigation, power, industry and fishing.

jw/acb (AFP, AP)