Seven people were killed in a snow avalanche that struck Restelica, a village in Dragas municipality in the south of Kosovo, and three more people are still missing, municipal head Sami Jonuzi confirmed on Sunday.
The avalanche, 10 metres high and 500 metres wide, hit 12 houses in the village of which 10 were not occupied because their owners work in Italy or Switzerland.
A 7-year-old girl was rescued from one of the houses. She has been hospitalised and her condition is stable.
Kosovo security forces, special police and local volunteers were doing their best to recover people trapped in snow. Their efforts were hampered by the steep terrain and snowdrifts that have made that part of the village impassable.
Also participating in the rescue operation were members of the Turkish Kosovo Force (KFOR) contingent, who together with local residents were removing snow with machines from the road leading to Restelica.
Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga called for making maximum effort to rescue people still trapped in the avalanche.
