Freeze brings state of emergency in Bosnia and shuts Colosseum in Rome

The week-long cold snap – the worst in decades in eastern Europe – has killed at least 176, many of them homeless people, especially in countries such as Ukraine.

In Rome, unusually heavy snow capped the dome of St Peter’s Basilica and the Roman Forum’s ancient arches. It toppled trees, sending some crashing on to empty parked cars.

About 4,000 government-issued shovels were handed out in several main piazzas to Romans trying to clear their streets before a forecast night-time freeze.

In Sarajevo, more than three feet of snow fell, closing roads and public transport.

Some neighbourhoods reported water shortages and residents struggled to reach the shops to stock up on food. Several people said they witnessed fist fights over loaves of bread.

But the crisis also produced camaraderie. In one area of central Sarajevo, men shovelling the deep snow were being given tea, coffee and hamburgers and meatballs barbecued by local women.

Meanwhile, efforts were under way to rescue hundreds of people trapped on snow-covered roads.

In a tunnel south of Sarajevo, vehicles carrying about 30 people were stuck in a tunnel and called local radio stations to appeal for help, saying they had children with them and were running out of fuel. But when snow ploughs arrived they too got stuck, officials said.

In neighbouring Montenegro, a three-day snowstorm that has closed roads and the main airport in the capital, Podgorica, claimed its first victim – a 54-year-old man who died when an avalanche hit his car on a road near the town of Kolasin.

In Croatia, authorities declared emergency measures and called for the army’s help in clearing up a rare snowfall. Three people have died in the freeze.