Wintry storms and high winds swept Romania overnight Thursday blanketing some regions with a thick layer of snow, closing highways and roads and ports, and causing power outages and cancellations on the rail network.
In the southeast which bore the brunt of the snow, 20 communities were without power in the eastern county of Constanta. Winds gusted up to 80 kilometers an hour in the capital uprooting trees and making it difficult for motorists in some areas early Thursday.
Emergency authorities said five people were injured by falling trees and branches, and loose bricks from buildings Bucharest and in the countries of Harghita and Constanta in central Romania. There was no word on the severity of the injuries.
Authorities closed some portions of Sun Highway that runs from the capital to the Black Sea port of Constanta late Wednesday due to the bad weather. Authorities issued a red weather warning in the area and the CFR state railways said goods trains wouldn’t run in the southeast.
CFR said that 35 trains had been canceled due to the weather conditions.
Farther north in the county of Braila, three trains were stranded after high winds downed electricity lines, a spokesman for emergency services, Stefan Stoian, told Agerpres news agency.
The transport ministry said that starting late Wednesday, there were traffic restrictions on 37 roads nationwide.
Up to 20 centimeters of snow was dumped in some parts of the capital, Bucharest mayor Gabriela Firea said, snarling traffic early Thursday.
In Bucharest, a number of trams weren’t running or were blocked due to snowfall, Digi24 reported.
