In the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, one person was killed and three were injured in one of some 200 traffic accidents reported around the country since Monday, police said.

Snow and landslides blocked roads and isolated villages and towns, and officials said the military had been called upon to reopen major arteries.

"One avalanche hit a van full of people, but luckily the people were saved," interior ministry spokesman Goran Pavlovski said.

A 100-kilometre (62-mile) stretch of road was blocked between Mavrovo and Debar, to the west of the capital Skopje, while the southwestern town of Kicevo was buried under a metre (three feet) of snow.

In the neighbouring Serbian province of Kosovo, two people have been killed and nine injured in traffic accidents since Monday, police said.

"Some 100 traffic accidents have been reported so far as a result of the bad weather," police spokesman Refki Morina said.

Heavy snow seriously disrupted traffic across the province, but the main roads were passable late Tuesday. Elsewhere in Serbia several minor roads were blocked but the main routes and airports were open.

In neighbouring Albania, eight people were killed in a traffic accident during a blizzard on Sunday.

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