The E-72 road to the Koulata-Promahon border crossing was closed and drivers wanting to enter Greece had to travel to the Ilinden-Exohi border post about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the east, they said.

The Strouma River broke its banks overnight, flooding the road. A longhaul truck had overturned in the river but there were no victims, police said.

Seven people, including three children, had meanwhile been trapped since Saturday in a cave near the city of Pernik, just west of Sofia, after rising water blocked their access to the exit, authorities said.

Flooding had damaged about 30 houses in Pernik, where a dam was destroyed.

Alerts were in place in several western and southern areas and while the rains had stopped Sunday, authorities were concerned about black ice after a sharp fall in temperatures.

Much of Europe has been struck by an early cold snap, which 46 people dying in freezing weather in Poland since the beginning of November.

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