CLIMATESLOVENIA
Slovenia floods: ‘Worst natural disaster’ claims four lives
38 minutes ago38 minutes ago
Heavy rainfall, flash floods caused widespread damage in Slovenia causing major damage to roads and the energy sector.
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An aerial view of building and roads submerged under flood water in Slovenia
Thousands of people had to be evacuated as their homes were submerged under waterImage: Gregor Ravnjak/AP
At least four people died in Slovenia as torrential rains and floods wreaked havoc across the Alpine country, in a major natural disaster.
Three people were found dead on Friday while the fourth person was reported dead by Slovenian media on Saturday.
Among the deceased victims, two were Dutch climbers who died in the mountains near Kranj on Friday, Slovenia’s STA news agency reported, citing police.
A Slovenian woman was also reported among those who dead on Friday due to flooding in the town of Kamnik. Authorities also retrieved a man’s body on the outskirts of Ljubljana on Saturday. At least five Dutch citizens have been missing amid extreme weather conditions, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.
A flooded bridge over the river Sulm in SloveniaA flooded bridge over the river Sulm in Slovenia
At least three bridges collapsed in Slovenia due to flash floodsImage: Erwin Scheriau/APA/dpa
Thousands of people had to evacuate their homes and many were moved by rescue teams to safer locations through helicopters and boats.
Unprecedented devastation in Slovenia
The extreme weather that powered through on Friday started to ease on Saturday and authorities began assessing the extent of damage.
A broken road above a stream of waterA broken road above a stream of water
Access to villages was impacted as flood water damaged many roadsImage: Ales Beno/AA/picture alliance
Prime Minister Robert Golob said the floods led to property damage amounting to $550 million (about €500 million).
“This is the worst natural disaster in Slovenia’s (recent) history, it has affected two-thirds of the country,” he said on Saturday after attending the National Security Council meeting.
The heavy rainfall caused widespread damage leading to the collapse of at least three bridges and mainly impacted roads and the energy infrastructure in Slovenia.
Large sections of roads were left submerged under water severely impacting transportation and access to villages.
Flash floods were also reported in Austria where some 80 people needed to be evacuated in the southern Carinthia province.
mfa/sms (dpa, AFP, AP)
