Floods in Slovenia continue, evacuation in Celje, torrents carry away bridges

(Patria) - Severe weather has hit the northern, western, and central parts of Slovenia, causing large-scale floods. According to available information so far, three people have died. Meteorologists warn that the bad weather is not over yet.

The evacuation of residents in Celje has begun due to the danger of the Slavinja River overflowing, and Laško is cut off, Slovenian media report.

Due to the extremely poor hydrological forecast and the high probability of the Savinja River overflowing, the evacuation of the entire area of Lišče on the right bank and Trubarjeva, Malgajeva to ljubljanska street, and the entire old part of Celje from the city center on the left bank of the river is underway.

Floods in Slovenia leave increasingly severe consequences (video: Patria) pic.twitter.com/oecYlcfmWN

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Shops, banks, and institutions have been closed in Celje.

All citizens are asked to follow the instructions of the Protection and Rescue Service, Slovenian media report.

In Laško, entry and exit from the city are not possible, and evacuation of residents is also being considered there.

Residents are advised not to go to the hospital in Celje or the Health Center unless absolutely necessary.

The Štajerska highway is closed in both directions near Žalec due to floods. Many roads across the country are flooded and closed due to heavy rains.

The storm is not over yet, warns the Slovenian Motorway Company (DARS) and urges citizens not to travel in these conditions.

In some places, rail traffic has also been stopped due to flooded tracks, and transit traffic is being rerouted via Austria to Italy.

The police reported several deaths at the headquarters, but there is no concrete information about the circumstances yet, said the commander of the Slovenian Civil Protection, Srečko Šestan.

He emphasizes that access to affected areas is blocked in many places.

Police in Slovenia warn residents of flood danger (video: Patria) pic.twitter.com/LbWhgbe9N6

— Patria (@AgencijaPatria) August 4, 2023

The situation is serious, warned the Minister of Defense Marjan Šarec, the army is on the ground, and the Vihra action plan has been activated. This plan provides for the activation of Slovenian army forces in case of large-scale natural disasters and ensures the assistance of Slovenian army soldiers to the system of protection against natural and other disasters.

"If there is no other way, we will rescue with armored vehicles too," he said.

One dead person was found, but it is not yet known if the flood is the cause

The Ljubljana Police Administration reported one death. However, they are not yet sure if it is related to the floods.

"Today, shortly after 6 AM, we were informed about the discovery of a dead person in the Kamnik area. According to the information available so far, it is an elderly person found in front of their house. The cause of death is not yet known, nor has it been confirmed that it is a consequence of the floods. Since the area is flooded, the police and rescue services are not yet on the ground," they announced.

Let us remind you, heavy rains started in Slovenia last night, and this morning many places across the country were flooded. Hundreds of firefighting interventions have been recorded in Slovenia since Thursday evening due to flash floods caused by heavy rainfall. Three campsites have been evacuated, and several villages are cut off from the rest of the country, reports Hina.

Floods have affected the Gorenjska, Koroška, and Zgornjesavinska valleys.

In Koroška, many roads are closed to traffic, rivers have already overflowed their banks, many houses and basements are flooded, and numerous landslides have occurred, the Slovenian Administration for Protection and Rescue told STA today, reports Indeks.hr