At least four people died and thousands of homes were damaged by flooding in eastern Romania on Saturday, officials said, as surging river levels put authorities on alert in much of central and eastern Europe following days of torrential rain.
Tens of thousands of households were left without power in Romania and the Czech Republic, where more rainfall is forecast in the coming days. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, southern Germany and parts of Austria are also expected to see more heavy rain.
Residents of some towns along the Czech-Polish border were evacuated as rivers rose past alert levels while the Czech capital, Prague, which suffered catastrophic floods in 2002, put preventive anti-flood measures in place.
In Romania, flooding affected eight counties, the country’s emergency unit said, and prime minister Marcel Ciolacu visited hard-hit Galati county, where the four people were found dead, about 5,000 homes were damaged and 25,000 were without power.
Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian supply lines would likely expose Putin’s escalation bluff
Will Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris influence the US election?
US Election: Advantage Harris, but can the Democratic nominee sway doubters?
One of the most dignified and powerful political speeches of the entire election year has been somewhat lost
Television images from the area showed streets flooded with muddy water, silt and debris as rescuers led residents to safety.
“The priority is obviously to save lives. At this moment we have all the necessary logistics to intervene quickly,” Mr Ciolacu said.
In the Czech Republic, northern and northeastern areas bore the brunt of the deluge and 51,000 households had their electricity supply cut off, the CTK news agency said.
Forecasters warned that some parts of the country could see more than a third of average annual rainfall by Sunday, with environment minister Petr Hladik urging people in the worst-hit areas to prepare to leave their homes.
In Prague, a city of more than 1.3 million people that sits on the banks of the Vltava river spanned by the picturesque 14th-century Charles Bridge, flood barriers were put in place.
The city heavily invested into preventive measures after the 2002 floods, which swept into the subway system and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.
Prague Zoo, which is located along the Vltava, was closed to visitors and Czech Railways said services on dozens of routes were disrupted. In the country's second-biggest city, Brno, a hospital evacuated patients as a precaution.
Polish interior minister Tomasz Siemoniak said weather forecasts looked unfavourable, with very heavy rainfall to fall around the Czech border area over the next 24 hours, feeding rivers into Poland.
Officials in neighbouring Slovakia warned of the threat of flooding in the capital, Bratislava, from the swollen Danube, while Hungary expects the river to near record-high levels in the coming days.
In Austria, emergency services were working with district governors and municipalities to prepare for evacuations. – Reuters