Heavy snowfall in western Serbia has triggered flooding of rivers and widespread power outages across the region.
A seven-day flood control emergency was imposed in the city of Loznica as the Drina River rose dangerously from persistent snowfall.
Officials report the Drina River's water level has begun to stabilize, though municipal and water authorities continue monitoring conditions and have ordered preventive evacuations in vulnerable areas.
Due to the region's mountainous terrain with its rugged roads, combined with fallen trees from heavy snow and strong winds, maintenance of transmission lines has been severely hampered. This has resulted in power outages lasting several days in some areas.
The power department has deployed additional crews to work on troubleshooting and repairs to restore electricity as swiftly as possible.
"Power company employees have been working nonstop. When I passed their headquarters this morning, vehicles were constantly entering and exiting the compound, as everyone was making an utmost effort to resolve the power shortage," said Natasa, a local resident.
"The weather is a little better now; the snow is melting and the streets are cleaner. It was very difficult in the previous days because the roads were frozen," said Zivorad, another resident.
Meteorologists forecast continued sleet in western Serbia in the coming days, as authorities coordinate snow removal and rescue operations to ease disruptions to daily life and transport.
Heavy snow triggers floods, power outages in western Serbia
Heavy snow triggers floods, power outages in western Serbia
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
