SARAJEVO, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Heavy snowfall and severe damage to electricity infrastructure have left around 50,000 users without power in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)'s northwestern Una-Sana Canton, local authorities said on Friday.
According to the country's electric utility, Elektroprivreda BiH (EPBiH), the situation is most critical in the cities of Bihac and Cazin, where the largest number of failures in the distribution network has been recorded.
Heavy, wet snow has placed extreme pressure on power infrastructure, causing mechanical damage and breakdowns in transmission and distribution lines.
The Bihac branch of EPBiH said conductors had been stretched, broken and tangled, while the weight of the snow also damaged concrete and iron poles. Additional disruptions were caused by falling trees and branches.
Primary schools across the canton were closed on Friday due to extreme weather conditions and power outages.
Authorities said most distribution faults could be fixed by the evening, though full restoration may take longer.
