11,000 trapped in remote villages by snow

At least 11,000 villagers have been trapped by heavy snow and blizzards in Serbia s mountains, authorities announced Thursday, as the death toll from Eastern Europe s weeklong deep freeze rose to 122. The stranded live in some 6,500 homes located in remote areas that cannot be reached due to icy, snow-clogged roads, emergency police official Predrag Maric said. Emergency crews were pressing hard to try to clear the snow and deliver badly needed supplies. "We are trying everything to unblock the roads since more snow and blizzards are expected in the coming days," Maric said. He said "the most dramatic" situation is near Serbia s southwestern town of Sijenica, where it has been freezing cold or snowing for the 26 days, and diesel fuel supplies used by snowplows are running low. "We hope to get the supplies there today, or tomorrow at the latest," Maric said. Newly reported deaths on Thursday because of the cold included 20 in Ukraine, nine in Poland, eight in Romania, and one more each in Serbia and the Czech Republic. Officials said most of victims were homeless.