Freezing tem-peratures and blizzards left thousands of people stranded without power in the Balkans and around Europe Saturday, as the death toll from one of the coldest winters in years continued to rise.

Heavy snowfalls and galeforce winds were expected to last in the Western Balkans until Monday. The storms created tall drifts, further hampering access to many areas in the region.

In Montenegro, the government declared a state of emergency 24 hours into a blizzard that dumped another two metres of snow across the country and cut off access to its north.

In Serbia, three new deaths were reported, raising the overall death toll for the country to 19. About 50,000 people remain isolated in remote villages. The energy situation has become critical, prompting the government to extend a two-day holiday this week to five days, keep schools closed and cut the power supply to non-essential factories.

In Croatia, powerful winds blowing from the sea forced authorities to close sections of the Adriatic highway.

Temperatures dropped to as low as -32 C in Poland's southern Bieszczady Mountains, while eight people died in house fires, police said.

A further eight people died in Romania, the Health Ministry said, raising the overall death toll to 65. Tens of thousands of people remained isolated in the south, where rescuers were trying to clear access routes.

Heavy snowfall also hit many parts of Italy - especially its central and southern regions - where six recent deaths have been linked to the cold. The poor weather forced the cancellation of flights and football matches.

In northern Bulgaria, trains could not make their way through the deep snow and the Bulgarian section of the Danube River was completely frozen.