Death toll rises as historic flooding continues in central Europe

The death toll from severe flooding in central and eastern Europe continued to rise on Monday, with more heavy rains on the way.

More than a dozen casualties have now been confirmed across Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania due to the floods that began inundating the region over the weekend, with the toll of at least 17 expected to continue rising.

In large parts of the extensive disaster zone, kilometres of land remain submerged, with roads and field flooded, basements and houses filling with water and dams and dykes overwhelmed.

In Poland, authorities said on Monday afternoon that three men and one woman have died in separate incidents across the affected regions.

The latest developments saw the mayor of the small south-western town of Paczków order a compulsory evacuation after a crack appeared in the wall of a nearby reservoir.

Paczków Mayor Artur Rolka warned that “no one can guarantee that the damage will not worsen” in an appeal on social media and said on Polish television that he decided on a compulsory evacuation after residents failed to heed his calls for them to leave their houses voluntarily.

He called on all remaining residents to leave low-lying districts which could soon be overrun by floodwaters after days of historic rainfall.

An immediate evacuation was also ordered in Nysa, another town in the Opole region with more than 40,000 inhabitants which had seen dramatic scenes on Sunday as 33 patients were rescued from the local district hospital in rubber dinghies.

The situation in Nysa had initially seemed under control on Monday, but sirens later wailed through the town and television footage showed long queues of cars on the city’s bridges after the mayor warned that a dyke could breach and flood the city.

“The situation is very dangerous, the health and lives of the residents are at risk,” said a statement from local authorities.

After an emergency Cabinet meeting in the western city of Wrocław on Monday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced 1 billion zloty ($260 million) in aid for victims of the flooding.

Tusk said he would speak to his counterparts in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia about jointly seeking European Union funding to help with reconstruction efforts.

Those affected by the flooding can submit applications for funds to municipal administrations with immediate effect, the prime minister said.

Tusk also addressed reports of looting in flooded areas, promising to take tough action against perpetrators…