After nearly 40 centimetres (16 inches) fell in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo at the weekend, a woman died in hospital after being hit by a tree that collapsed under the weight of the snow on Monday, according to the police.

Dozens of villages across neighbouring Serbia were left without power in the wake of the snowfall, with the state-run RTS broadcaster reporting that the authorities had declared states of emergencies in parts of the west.

In the capital Belgrade, heavy snowfall at the weekend brought down trees and branches onto parked cars, and the Serbian weather service warned of even more intense precipitation for several regions for Wednesday.

Heavy rainfall caused several rivers in the region of the town of Mostar in southern Bosnia to overflow, while in the east of the country, authorities declared a state of emergency in the Zvornik area due to the rising water levels of the Drina river.

Downpours likewise hit Albania, where dozens of homes were evacuated, as well as Kosovo and Montenegro.

burs-ljv/sbk