Torrential rains in the Balkans over the past two days have led to floods that killed at least six peopleprompted widespread evacuations and caused extensive damage, authorities said Monday.
One of the worst affected areas was in northwestern Albania, where thousands of acres of farmland and hundreds of homes were flooded. Authorities evacuated dozens of families due to power outages.
Police divers on Monday morning recovered the bodies of two missing men, a father and son, whose car washed away on Sunday in the village of Boge, about 90 miles north of the capital Tirana.
Last weekend, four lives were claimed in Montenegro and parts of Serbia. A woman and her two children drowned in Montenegro when their car plunged into a river while crossing a bridge. In the south of Serbia, a 2-year-old boy drowned after falling into a river.
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The authorities of the southern Serbian region of Raska have declared a state of emergency due to severe flood and the army was deployed to help the local population with evacuation and delivery of drinking water and food.
Torrential rain of up to 14 inches in 12 hours on Sunday caused the Drini River, Albania’s longest, to overflow its banks by at least 4 inches, authorities said.
At least 7,500 acres of farmland were flooded in the Shkoder and Lege districts, about 60 miles northwest of Tirana.
A policeman inspects a flooded area near the city of Shkoder, northwestern Albania, on November 21, 2022.
After that, hundreds of soldiers were sent to evacuate the families more than 600 houses were flooded.
“At the moment, Shkoder is isolated from the rest of the country,” said Mayor Bard Spahia.
Farmers, who suffered repeated floods in the post-communist era, expressed despair over their losses, including livestock, and asked the government for help.
“We need the government’s help because the flood damage is very, very serious,” said Lina Zefi, 60, from the village of Kuch, less than 6 miles from Shkoder.
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The historic 18th-century Lead Mosque in Shkodër is also under water – after damage from past floods.
Flooding also affected areas in western Kosovo, causing some damage to buildings and closing schools, but no casualties were reported.
