Torrential rain and flash floods ravage Slovenia

Torrential rain and heavy floods have ravaged Slovenia, killing at least three people, cutting off roads and bridges, surging into buildings and forcing evacuations.

Slovenia’s environmental agency raised the weather alert to the highest level after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in northern, north-western and central parts of the country.

As rain continued to fall on Friday, authorities warned of more floods in other areas because of swiftly swelling rivers.

Slovenian police told the official STA news agency that three people have died since bad weather started late on Thursday evening: a Slovenian woman died in the central town of Kamnik, and two Dutch nationals in a mountainous area near the city of Kranj.

“The death in Kamnik could have been caused by flooding, while the deaths in the mountains could have been caused by a lightning strike,” said police official Maja Adlesic Ciperle.

Army soldiers helped emergency personnel in the recovery effort.

“I urge all those who don’t have an urgent errand to run to stay at home, and not to drive anywhere,” defence minister Marjan Sarec said.

Photos in local media showed submerged cars, cracked roads and entire villages flooded.

Rescuers could be seen carrying out children from a blocked nursery while helicopters lifted people who climbed on to the roofs of their flooded homes.

President Natasa Pirc Musar expressed condolences to the families of the victims, urging citizens to “stay connected and support and help each other in these challenging times, and take care of older people and other vulnerable individuals who need our help and support”.

Prime minister Robert Golob cut short his summer holiday because of the floods.

“We can already say that this a record flood,” he said at a news conference after cutting short his vacation because of the floods. Golob said the floods could be the biggest since Slovenia became independent in 1991.