Man Dies, Hundreds Hurt On Icy Serbian Pavements

Belgrade's Mayor Dragan Djilas on Thursday urged businesses to change their opening time from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

One man died and hundreds were injured in Serbia's capital over the past two days after slipping on icy pavements, a health official said on Friday.

The trauma ward of Belgrade's Clinical Center has treated more than 850 people in the past 48 hours, mostly for fractures, and one elderly man died on Thursday from a head injury, spokesman Drago Jovanovic said.

"We haven't had this situation in more than a decade," he said, adding that warmer weather on Friday had melted most of the ice.

Hospitals across Serbia treated hundreds of others for ice-related injuries, Serbian media reported.

Belgrade's Mayor Dragan Djilas on Thursday urged businesses to change their opening time from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. because most accidents happened early in the morning after overnight frost froze rainy pavements.