After weeks of extreme winter weather in the Western Balkans, the much anticipated rise in temperatures has posed new threats to the region, authorities warned on Tuesday.

Giant chunks of melting ice that broke free on the Danube River near Belgrade damaged hundreds of boats, rafts as well as other structures along the shore in recent days.

Meanwhile a flood alert has been declared in low laying areas along the Danube or its tributaries. Emergency crews are defending against the accumulation of ice near dams and reservoirs.

Aleksandar Prodanovic, director of the Water Directorate of the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, said as the ice broke up on river throughout Serbia, blockages of ice will persist for an estimated four to five days.

In Sarajevo, a driver narrowly escaped a serious injury on Tuesday when a melting mass of ice and snow slid off a roof in the city's downtown area. Rescuers used hand picks to extract the driver from the vehicle which had been completely destroyed.

In Montenegro, which is still under a state of emergency due to the heaviest snowfall in more than six decades, officials are warning of possible avalanches and collapsing roofs as the warm weather approaches.