BELGRADE, Serbia, Feb 17 (AP/UNB) - Officials say some 5,500 people in Serbia remain cut off by snow, even as temperatures start to rise and authorities brace for possible flooding from melting snow and ice.

Emergency official Predrag Maric said Friday people stranded in remote areas by walls of snow and unpassable roads can only be reached by helicopter.

He says many roads remain blocked weeks after the cold snap hit the Balkan country and much of Europe.

More than 650 people have died so far in Europe's coldest winter in decades. Snow and record cold paralyzed many countries, closing down schools and nurseries, and halting traffic.

Maric says a meeting of Serbia's emergency team this weekend will focus on flood prevention along the Danube and other frozen rivers.