A severe cold wave and heavy snowfall killed 10 people in the Balkans at the weekend and left many municipalities without electricity, officials said on Monday.

In Bosnia, two men froze to death overnight as temperatures dropped as low as minus 24 degrees Celsius (minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit).

In Serbia, three people froze to death over the weekend, when a blizzard and strong winds almost paralysed the north of the country, prompting the army to send tanks to clear up roads blocked by heavy trucks stranded in snow.

All five victims in Bosnia and Serbia lived either in remote villages or were elderly and lived alone, officials said.

In neighbouring Croatia, rescue services on Sunday found a 40-year-old man who had been reported missing frozen to death in a forest.

Hospital sources in Croatia said another four people suffering from chronic illnesses died at the weekend as their condition deteriorated due to bad weather.

The cold weather also caused travel chaos in the region at the weekend, forcing the shutdown of the airport in the Croatian capital Zagreb for several hours.