At least six people died after heavy rains caused flooding in the Balkans | world news


At least six people have died after torrential rains in the Balkans caused flooding and prompted widespread evacuations, authorities said.

One of the hardest hit areas was in northwestern Albania, where thousands of hectares of farmland and hundreds of homes were flooded.

On Sunday, up to 400mm (14 inches) of torrential rain fell in 12 hours and caused the Drini River, the longest in Albania, to overflow at least 10cm (four inches), authorities said.

Early Monday, the bodies of two missing men were found – a father and son whose car was taken to the village of Boge, about 90 miles north of the capital Tirana, on Sunday.

Floods in Montenegro and parts of Serbia killed four people over the weekend.

A woman and her two children drowned in Montenegro when their car plunged into a river as it drove over a bridge.

In southern Serbia, a two-year-old boy drowned after falling into a river.

Authorities in the Raska region in southern Serbia have declared a state of emergency and the army has been deployed to help with evacuations and provide drinking water and food.

Image:
Photo: AP
A man drives cows through a flooded street in the village of Kuc, near Shkoder, northwestern Albania, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022. Authorities say torrential rains over 48 hours across the Western Balkans have caused at least six dead and flooded farmland and homes with the Albanian districts of Shkoder and Lezhe being the most affected areas.  (AP Photo/Frank Zhurda)
Image:
Photo: AP

At least 3,000 hectares (7,500 acres) of farmland were flooded in Shkoder and Lezhe districts, about 60 miles northwest of Tirana.

Hundreds of soldiers were sent to evacuate families after more than 600 homes were flooded.

The historic 18th-century Lead Mosque in Shkoder was also underwater – having suffered damage in past floods.

Balkan flood map

Mayor Bardh Spahia said that at present Shkoder was “isolated from the rest of the country”.

The farmers, who repeatedly suffered from floods in the post-communist era, expressed concern over their losses and called on the government to help them.

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Lina Zefi, 60, in the village of Kuc less than 10 km from Shkoder, said: “We need help from the government because the flood damage is very, very serious.”

The floods also affected areas in western Kosovo, causing damage to buildings and the closure of schools, but no casualties were reported.

malek

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