Zagreb (Croatia) | Hundreds of people in Croatia have spent the night in their cars or at gas stations and reception centres after a snowstorm over the weekend caused traffic to collapse and left parts of the country cut off.

The sudden change of weather after a period of warm and balmy days also has snarled traffic in neighbouring Serbia and Bosnia, leaving areas in western Serbia without power and cutting railway traffic to neighbouring Montenegro.

Croatian authorities said on Monday that the roads leading to and from the Adriatic Sea coastline remain closed because of snow and strong winds.

Media reported that cars and buses were parked along the main Croatian highway as they wait to move on.

About 300 people have stayed in the reception centres that have been set up because of the situation, said Natalia Turbic, local emergency official in Gracac in central Croatia.

Others sought places in private accommodation in the area, she said.

State television HRT reported that hundreds of people that couldn't reach the reception centres stayed in buses and cars or looked for gas station cafes nearby which opened their doors for stranded motorists and passengers.