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photo-article-logo Tuesday, 15 October 2024

In pictures: More rivers spill banks in central European floods, death toll rises

Massive flooding in Central Europe killed five more people in Poland and one in Czech Republic, officials said on September 16

Reuters Prague/Warsaw Published 16.09.24, 04:18 PM

More rivers in central Europe spilled their banks on Monday in flooding that has killed at least 10 people from Poland to Romania and left many towns submerged or hit by gushing, debris-filled waters after days of heavy rainfalls.

A person holding a smartphone stands next to the flooded Wienfluss river channel during heavy rain, after Austrian forecasters expanded a warning for extreme rainfall to areas of the country including the capital, in Vienna, Austria.
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A person holding a smartphone stands next to the flooded Wienfluss river channel during heavy rain, after Austrian forecasters expanded a warning for extreme rainfall to areas of the country including the capital, in Vienna, Austria.

Reuters
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A firefighter tackling flooding in Lower Austria was also killed, Austrian Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler said on Sunday on social platform X as authorities declared the province which surrounds Vienna a disaster area.

Water flows as its levels rise in the eastern town of Goerlitz, Germany, September 16, 2024.
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Water flows as its levels rise in the eastern town of Goerlitz, Germany, September 16, 2024.

Reuters

Several Central European nations have been hit by severe flooding, including Romania, Austria, Germany, Slovakia and Hungary, as a result of a low-pressure system from northern Italy dumping heavy rainfall in the wide region.

An excavator is used to clear debris next to a road, in the aftermath of flooding following heavy rainfalls, in Jesenik, Czech Republic, September 16, 2024.
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An excavator is used to clear debris next to a road, in the aftermath of flooding following heavy rainfalls, in Jesenik, Czech Republic, September 16, 2024.

Reuters

Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were hit hard over the weekend. Some bridges collapsed and homes were destroyed, while villages and towns in eastern Romania were submerged.

Drone view of a flooded animal shelter in Klodzko, Lower Silesia region, Poland.Re
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Drone view of a flooded animal shelter in Klodzko, Lower Silesia region, Poland.Re

Reuters

Poland's government was due to meet on Monday morning to call a state of disaster.

A view of damaged houses, in the aftermath of flooding following heavy rainfalls, in Jesenik, Czech Republic, September 16, 2024.
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A view of damaged houses, in the aftermath of flooding following heavy rainfalls, in Jesenik, Czech Republic, September 16, 2024.

Reuters

While rivers in the Czech-Polish border area were starting to recede on Monday, flooding was widening to more parts and leaving bigger cities in both countries on alert.

A view of flooded houses in Jesenik, Czech Republic.
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A view of flooded houses in Jesenik, Czech Republic.

Reuters

In the Czech Republic, a rising 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.

A view of a destroyed house, in the aftermath of flooding following heavy rainfalls, in Jesenik, Czech Republic, September 16, 2024.
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A view of a destroyed house, in the aftermath of flooding following heavy rainfalls, in Jesenik, Czech Republic, September 16, 2024.

Reuters

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.

Evacuees stand on the back of a truck, following floods caused by heavy rainfalls in Visnova, Czech Republic.
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Evacuees stand on the back of a truck, following floods caused by heavy rainfalls in Visnova, Czech Republic.

Reuters

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.

A man holds a cat as he is aided by rescuers on a flooded street, following heavy rainfall in Jesenik, Czech Republic.
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A man holds a cat as he is aided by rescuers on a flooded street, following heavy rainfall in Jesenik, Czech Republic.

Reuters

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

A couple walks on a flooded road after heavy rain triggered flooding in Slobozia Conachi, Galati county, Romania.
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A couple walks on a flooded road after heavy rain triggered flooding in Slobozia Conachi, Galati county, Romania.

Reuters

In Romania, the flooding killed six people over the weekend, and an Austrian firefighter died on Sunday. A man drowned in Poland on Sunday. Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak said he had information on a second death, which Reuters could not immediately verify.

Firefighters assemble a water barrier next to river Danube to prevent flood water from spilling into streets in Mauthausen, Austria.
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Firefighters assemble a water barrier next to river Danube to prevent flood water from spilling into streets in Mauthausen, Austria.

Reuters

DANUBE ALSO RISES

Polish Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Czeslaw Mroczek told Polish Radio on Monday that thousands of firefighters, police officers and soldier had battled floods in the past 24 hours while the government was still working to determine the scale of damage.

"The government, as announced, will make a decision to introduce a state of natural disaster...We are consulting with local governors," he said.

Slovakia's capital Bratislava and Hungarian capital Budapest were both preparing as the River Danube rose.

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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.

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