At least two killed after massive storm whips Balkans
A massive storm with torrential rain and powerful winds caused floods and landslides across the Western Balkans, causing at least two deaths, local media reported on Thursday. Two people drowned in Serbia, one on the outskirts of Belgrade and the other a firefighter on a rescue operation in the north, as many rivers rose over their banks. Several major routes, including the E-75 Belgrade-Skopje Highway, were submerged and impassable. The railway line to Montenegro was also interrupted. Traffic was at a standstill in parts of Belgrade after more than 30 hours of heavy rain. Local authorities ordered schools to remain closed Thursday and Friday. A state of emergency was declared in municipalities across Serbia, which was at the centre of a slowly-moving cyclone that has dumped more water in 30 hours than the average for the month of May. The storm was followed by a sharp drop in temperature, precipitation and gale-force winds. Snow fell in higher areas of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia.
To the west, in Bosnia, floods forced the evacuation of hundreds of people. With roads submerged and several bridges carried away by swollen rivers, the government in Sarajevo ordered the army to deploy helicopters in rescue missions. In Croatia, the authorities closed sections of the highway along the Adriatic coast because of the storm and the wind reaching 150 kilometres per hour.
The national meteorology service issued a "red alert" in continental Croatia, warning that the wind powerful enough to knock down trees and carry debris at a deadly speed. Thousands of households across the region have been without electricity since Wednesday, while occasional blackouts occurred elsewhere.
The cyclone was slowly moving eastward, hitting Bulgaria and Romania.In Bulgaria, a woman has gone missing after a flood hit Knezha, a town in the north. A tornado reportedly formed on the outskirts of Sofia, damaging roofs in the suburb Chepinci. Waters were rising in Romania between Bucharest and the Carpathian mountains, causing floods in around two dozen villages.
ISE