Man Killed in Balkan Snowstorm Mayhem

Two days of blizzards and strong winds in Bosnia and Croatia caused havoc along the Adriatic coast, leaving thousands of homes without power, disrupting traffic and killing a motorist, officials said Friday.

The motorist died near Zepce in northern Bosnia after crashing into a pile of rubble and mud swept onto the road by a landslide, police said.

Storms blacked out some 100 villages in central and southern Bosnia, where dozens of roads were closed off, rescue-workers said.

And in neighboring Croatia, some 16,000 people suffered power cuts, while land and sea traffic saw serious disruptions, the state power utility said.

In Split, hurricane-strength winds on Friday ripped off the facade of a high school building, forcing students to evacuate.

Winds in the Croatian coastal city roared at a speed of 240 kilometers (150 miles) an hour, forcing the suspension on Friday of most ferry lines between the port and the islands.

Since Thursday, all international ferries traveling from Split to Ancona, Italy have also been canceled.

Weather experts predict the winds will ease at the weekend.