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September 15, 2024

At least 8 dead as flooding ravages central Europe

Flooding in central Europe has led to at least eight deaths since Saturday. According to Reuters, a firefighter in Austria and a man in Poland died from the flooding Sunday. Flooding killed six other people in Romania over the weekend. A low-pressure system, called Storm Boris, continued to bring heavy downpours to countries across central Europe, causing rivers to flood in Poland, Romania, Austria and the Czech Republic. Austrian officials declared the province surrounding Vienna a disaster area, Reuters reported. Austrian Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler said the firefighter died while combating flooding in Lower Austria. In Klodzko county, Poland, flooding left a man dead, according to Reuters. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Klodzko County was the hardest-hit area of the country after meeting officials in the main town, Reuters reported. A bridge collapsed in the historic Polish town of Glucholazy, according to Reuters. Officials in Glucholazy ordered evacuations early Sunday, although efforts to protect the town’s infrastructure failed to prevent the bridge collapse, Reuters said. More than 10,000 people were evacuated from the Czech Republic because of flooding. Czech police said they were looking for three people who were in a car that plunged into the river Staric on Saturday near Lipova-lazne, a village about 146 miles east of Prague, Reuters reported.Heavy rainfall across Europe is expected to continue through at least Monday.