2016-08-08 12:11:00

Balkans suffering from storms, flash flooding


(Vatican Radio) The government of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has declared a state of emergency Sunday in parts of the capital Skopje hit by torrential rain and floods that authorities say left at least 21 people dead, with six others missing. Thousands more remain in need of aid and that the stormy weather has spread to other parts of the Balkans.

Listen to Stefan Bos’ report:

Security forces try to help desperate people. Their homes have been flooded in what the mayor of Macedonia's capital has called “the worst Skopje has ever seen.” The deadly deluge created hazardous rainfall accumulations within only 20 minutes. Mayor Koce Trajanovski called it a water bomb. Dozens are reportedly killed and many more injured.

Some residents try to return to their flooded homes. "I have nothing now. Everything I has been flooded. Everything I have been building for sixty years has been destroyed," a crying woman said. 

POLICE SEARCHING

Police and army helicopters are now searching for the missing and have already evacuated hundreds from the flood zone. But authorities said at least 5,000 people are in need of urgently food and water. They urged people to stay at home and to only drink bottled water.

Skopje's city council held an emergency session and decided to provide financial help to victims' families, giving 180,000 denars, roughly 3,000 euros to each.

Macedonia is an impoverished nation and the flood has impacted Skopje and surrounding villages.

CROATIA SUFFERING

Further north in Croatia, stormy winds have disrupted road and sea traffic at the height of the tourist season. Croatian media say parts of the main highway connecting the capital of Zagreb with the Adriatic coast remain closed on Sunday. Only cars were allowed down the sections of a highway and a regional road further north near the port of Rijeka.

Disruptions created by the bad weather have created traffic backups, with many tourists trying to reach Croatia's coastal resorts along the Adriatic Sea.

Traffic has been limited on the bridges connecting the islands of Pag and Krk with the coast, while some ferry lines have halted services with the islands of Pag and Rab.

The weather has underscored concerns over infrastructure in the Balkans, following wars and often slow rebuilding efforts.








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