Eight dead as central Europe faces devastation from historic flooding and relentless rainstorms

Rescue efforts continue across Czech Republic and Poland as officials brace for more rain and rising rivers

WARSAW:

The death toll from central European flooding rose to eight on Sunday as thousands were evacuated from their homes in the Czech Republic after days of heavy rain caused rivers to overflow. A low-pressure system, named Boris, triggered downpours from Austria to Romania, leading to some of the worst flooding in nearly 30 years in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Further rain and strong winds are expected until Monday, though conditions eased in Romania on Sunday after severe flooding the day before. Thousands of homes were damaged over the weekend, with bridges swept away and power cuts affecting around 250,000 households, primarily in the Czech Republic.

In southwestern Poland, one person drowned, while a firefighter involved in rescue operations died in Austria. In Romania, four people died on Saturday, with two more fatalities reported on Sunday.

In Lower Austria, authorities declared a disaster zone following the firefighter's death and warned against non-essential travel. A bridge collapsed in the historic Polish town of Glucholazy near the Czech border, prompting evacuations. Another bridge collapsed in Stronie Slaskie after a dam burst, according to the Polish weather service.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, after visiting the affected areas, announced that the government would declare a state of disaster and seek aid from the European Union.

In the Czech Republic, police are searching for three individuals whose car plunged into the Staric River near Lipova-lazne, about 235 km east of Prague. The area has seen 500 mm of rain since Wednesday, causing widespread flooding.

Reuters footage showed floodwaters sweeping through Lipova-lazne and Jesenik, damaging homes and carrying debris. Local resident Mirek Burianek described communication outages and uncertainty, while Pavel Bily, another resident, said the flooding was worse than in 1997 and expressed concern over the fate of his home.

Some areas are bracing for further flooding. In the village of Visnova, 138 km north of Prague, resident Ferdinand Gampl noted that rain from nearby mountains could cause further flooding within hours.

Emergency services used helicopters to evacuate stranded people in Lipova-lazne, and over 10,000 people have been evacuated across the Czech Republic, according to the head of the fire service.

In Budapest, officials raised forecasts for the Danube River to reach over 8.5 metres this week, approaching the 2013 record of 8.91 metres.

Meanwhile, in Romania, where the rain has eased, efforts are underway to restore power to 11,000 homes and begin clean-up operations. Residents, such as Victoria Salceanu from the village of Slobozia Conachi, are assessing the devastation caused by the floods. "Everything I have is destroyed," she said.