Blizzards have closed roads, disrupted power supplies and shut down an airport in Montenegro, as the Balkan region faces a winter freeze that has caused travel chaos and left several people dead.

Officials say snowdrifts and avalanches blocked roads on Tuesday in hilly northern Montenegro, where about a metre (three feet) of snow fell overnight.

The snow also blanketed the capital of Podgorica, closing down the city's airport. Podgorica and several towns along the Adriatic coast were left without electricity for several hours.

In Serbia, the top emergency official apologized for failing to clear the roads over the weekend, when hundreds were stranded in buses and cars. In Croatia, doctors issued warnings to the elderly and sick to stay indoors.