Kranj - The Karavanke tunnel, the country's motorway connection with Austria in the north-west of Slovenia, has reopened to personal vehicles while it remains closed in both directions for buses and trucks over 3.5 tonnes due to "technical problems". The tunnel was fully closed between around 11:20am and 3pm.

Buses and trucks heading for Austria can cross into the neighbouring country via Italy or at the Šentilj/Spielfeld border crossing in the north-east of the country.

According to national motorway company DARS, the reason for closing the tunnel is problems with the ventilation system.

Only one of the two ventilators is working on the Slovenian side of the tunnel, which means that heavy vehicles would pose too great a risk in case of a potential fire.

"Therefore, until the technical problems are addressed, buses and lorries over 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible weight are banned from the tunnel," DARS said in a statement on Thursday.