Floods in Romania kill at least four people as rain batters central Europe

By Luiza Ilie and Radovan Stoklasa

VISNOVA, Czech Republic (Reuters) -At least four people died and thousands of homes were damaged by flooding in eastern Romania on Saturday, officials said, as surging river levels put authorities on alert in much of central and eastern Europe following days of torrential rain.

Tens of thousands of households were left without power in Romania and the Czech Republic, where more rainfall is forecast in the coming days. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, southern Germany and parts of Austria are also expected to see more heavy rain.

Residents of some towns along the Czech-Polish border were evacuated as rivers rose past alert levels while the Czech capital, Prague, which suffered catastrophic floods in 2002, put preventative anti-flood measures in place.

In Romania, flooding affected eight counties, the country's emergency unit said, and Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu visited hard-hit Galati county, where the four people were found dead, about 5,000 homes were damaged and 25,000 were without power.

Television images from the area showed streets flooded with muddy water, silt and debris as rescuers led residents to safety.

"The priority is obviously to save lives. At this moment we have all the necessary logistics to intervene quickly," Ciolacu said.

EVACUATIONS, BLACKOUTS

In the Czech Republic, northern and northeastern areas bore the brunt of the deluge and 51,000 households had their electricity supply cut off, the CTK news agency said.

Forecasters warned that some parts of the country could see more than a third of average annual rainfall by Sunday, with Environment Minister Petr Hladik urging people in the worst-hit areas to prepare to leave their homes.

In the village of Visnova, 140 km (87 miles) north of Prague, local resident Roman Christof said his cottage had escaped damage because it was built on higher land. Others were less fortunate, he added.

"I feel sorry for the neighbours," he said as he surveyed the floodwaters.

In Prague, a city of more than 1.3 million people that sits on the banks of the Vltava river spanned by the picturesque 14th century Charles Bridge, flood barriers were put in place.

The city heavily invested into preventive measures after the 2002 floods, which swept into the subway system and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

Prague Zoo, which is located along the Vltava, was closed to visitors and Czech Railways said services on dozens of routes were disrupted. In the country's second-biggest city, Brno, a hospital evacuated patients as a precaution.

'CRITICAL NIGHT' AHEAD

In Glucholazy, a historic town in southwestern Poland near the Czech border, firefighters piled hundreds of sandbags alongside a swollen river and some residents were evacuated.

Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said weather forecasts looked unfavourable, with very heavy rainfall to fall around the Czech border area over the next 24 hours, feeding rivers into Poland.

"We are facing a critical night, full mobilisation is required," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on the X platform.

Officials in neighbouring Slovakia warned of the threat of flooding in the capital, Bratislava, from the swollen Danube, while Hungary expects the river to near record-high levels in the coming days.

In Austria, emergency services were working with district governors and municipalities to prepare for evacuations.

Chancellor Karl Nehammer said all federal states were affected and the situation was deteriorating, particularly in the northeastern state of Lower Austria.

"The coming days will still be extremely difficult and challenging for the affected population and the emergency services," Nehammer said on X.

(Reporting by Luiza Ilie in Bucharest, Jason Hovet in Prague, Marek Strzelecki in Warsaw, Krisztina Than in Budapest and Maria Martinez in Berlin;Editing by Helen Popper and Ros Russell)