More than 1,000 people were rescued by the army and emergency services on Saturday after being stranded in snow on a road linking Serbia and Hungary for some 15 hours.

More than 200 vehicles were caught by the weather and trapped for several hours from Friday evening in the region of Feketic, some 120 kilometres (74 miles) north of Belgrade.

The government ordered "all concerned services, army, police and firefighters to deploy all necessary means to rescue" those trapped, a statement said.

The severe weather conditions meant that another 1,000 people throughout Serbia had to be rescued, a government statement said.

The northern Vojvodina province has, since Thursday evening, been hit by winds reaching speeds of more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour.

In Vrsac, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast of Belgrade, winds were gusting at a speed of at 168 kilometres (104 miles) per hour, the state-run RTS television reported, causing snowdrifts.

On Friday, an army helicopter helped rescue services to evacuate some 100 people blocked in their vehicles on a road linking Belgrade and Zrenjanin, some 70 kilometres (43 miles) northeast of the Serbian capital.

The authorities banned trucks from neighbouring countries from entering.

River traffic on the Danube was also banned.

The strong winds were expected to continue over the weekend.

Italy hit by flooding, snow, windstorms
Rome (AFP) Feb 01, 2014 - Heavy rains and windstorms battered Italy on Saturday, swelling rivers and flooding fields and roads, while alpine areas saw abundant snow.

The spate of bad weather was expected to last until Tuesday.

AFP images of Ponte Milvio bridge in northern Rome show the Tiber river's level nearing the tops of its arches. The river Arno in Pisa was also swollen.

Fields and roads were flooded along the length of many rivers in central Italy.

In the Prima Porta neighbourhood of the capital, streets, garages, basements and sports fields were inundated.

The civil protection authorities said the Tiber would remain below alarm levels.

Near Pisa, in Ponsacco, 1,600 residents were forced to find shelter with relatives and friends after floodwaters invaded or threatened the ground floors of their homes, media reports said. In San Miniato, around 1,000 people were evacuated as a precaution.

Venice experienced an especially severe "acqua alta" (high water) measuring 104 centimetres (41 inches), leaving some tourist areas under water, including Saint Mark's Square.

Many tourists could be seen wearing cheap orange boots that they bought to deal with the flooding, and the city provided raised platforms to help people get around.

In the mountains, temperatures began to warm up, raising fears of avalanches. Heavy snowfall has made communications difficult and caused power outages.

A strong sirocco wind swept the Gulf of Naples, while fog and heavy rains plagued Calabria in the far south, where driving was difficult and trees had fallen.