Heavy snow causes power outages, traffic jams in Belarus

Heavy snow and strong winds plagued Belarus on Friday, causing power outages in 500 villages and traffic jams on major highways, BBC reports.

Meteorologists said the winds reached a speed of up to 30 meters per second in some regions. Poor visibility, snowdrifts and icy roads added to the troubles.

Thousands of cars were stuck or moving slowly on the roads. Tens of thousands of homes remained without electricity, with temperatures below zero across the country, said authorities.

Rail transport was also disturbed throughout the day, and Minsk airport was closed because of the snowfall.