More rivers spill banks in central European floods, death toll rises,more rain expected

Europe have underscored the vulnerabilities of the region to extreme weather events, with numerous rivers exceeding their banks and causing widespread devastation. The rising death toll, now reaching alarming figures, highlights the urgent need for effective disaster management strategies and climate adaptation measures. As meteorological forecasts predict additional rainfall in the coming days, communities are bracing for further challenges. This situation not only threatens human lives but also poses significant risks to infrastructure, agriculture, and local economies.

In Romania, five people have died, while several remain unaccounted for in the Czech Republic.

The Austrian province surrounding Vienna has been declared a disaster area, with its leaders speaking of "an unprecedented extreme situation".

Poland's prime minister Donald Tusk declared a state of natural disaster.

Morava River overnight put Litovel, a city 230 km (140 miles) east of the capital Prague with a population of nearly 10,000, around 70% under water and shut down schools and health facilities, its mayor said in a video on Facebook.

Flooded parts of northeastern Czech regional capital Ostrava forced closures of a power plant supplying heat and hot water to the city as well as two chemical plants.

More than 12,000 people have been evacuated in the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Sunday evening on X as he called an extraordinary government session for Monday.

Czech Television reported the first confirmed victim on Monday, adding to casualties across the region.

In the neighbouring Czech Republic, police said they were searching for three people who were in a car that plunged into the river Staric on Saturday near Lipova-lazne, a village about 235km (146 miles) east of the capital, Prague. Rainfall in the area has reached about 500mm (19.7 inches) since Wednesday.

Hungarian capital, Budapest, officials raised forecasts for the river Danube to rise in the second half of this week to more than 8.5 metres (27.9 feet), nearing a record of 8.91 metres (29.2 feet) in 2013.

In Austria, the levels of rivers and reservoirs fell overnight as rain eased but officials said they were bracing for a second wave as heavier rain was expected in the coming hours.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a message on X, sent words of solidarity to those affected by flooding and she said the EU would provide support.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague, Pawel Florkiewicz, Luiza Ilie in Bucharest, Gergely Szakacs in Budapest, Francois Murphy in Vienna, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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Sarah H

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