Thaw brings chaos in Belgrade

Sudden increases in temperatures on Sunday caused the ice to break up causing collision of boats, though no casualties were reported.

"The damage will be hundreds of thousands of euros for sure," Dragan Jovanovic was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

Debris was scattered among the breaking ice for hundreds of metres along the river, and several floating restaurants, barges and boats were beached on river banks after the ice snapped anchor lines.

Local media reported that Belgrade emergency services said there was no ice risk to bridges and other infrastructure in the city, and there was no threat of flooding.

The Danube flows 2,860km (1,777 miles) through nine countries and is vital for transport, power and industry.

It has been almost entirely frozen from Austria to the Black Sea, the Associated Press news agency reports.

Ice more than 30cm (11in) thick in places broke up over the weekend as temperatures rose.

Belgrade river officials advised boat owners to constantly monitor their property but not to try to recover it from the water as of Monday morning.

At least 20 people have died from the cold in Serbia in recent weeks and economists say damage from the cold snap may cost Serbia as much as €500m.

Some 3,300 people remain stranded by snow and ice in rural areas, where they can only be reached by helicopter.