Deadly Floods in Slovenia: The “Worst Natural Disaster” Since 1991
Floods caused by torrential rains have resulted in at least six deaths in Slovenia, according to the latest report released on Monday. This is the “worst natural disaster” since independence in 1991.
The death toll in the historic floods in Slovenia has risen to six, while cleanup operations continue with the help of European countries, the police said on Monday, August 7.
“Worst natural disaster” since independence in 1991, according to Prime Minister Robert Golob, the torrential rain has flooded a large part of the central and northeastern regions since Thursday, disrupting traffic.
On Sunday, a participant in the clearing operations fatally fell into a pit and the body of a second man was found in a river, the police reported to AFP. Two Dutch tourists had already lost their lives on Friday, and the bodies of two local residents were found on Saturday.
On Monday, rescuers were still trying to clear passage routes to the most isolated areas and assess the damages, estimated by the government to be over half a billion euros.
A member of the European Union (EU) and NATO, Slovenia has requested the supply of excavators, modular bridges, helicopters, and soldiers. The first truck carrying humanitarian aid arrived from Hungary on Sunday evening, followed by a helicopter, while Croatia and Spain provided a helicopter.
Von der Leyen visits the site
On Twitter, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced her visit to the site on Wednesday to “assess the destruction” and “discuss EU assistance”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that his country is sending rescue teams, while expressing his “shock” at the “terrible catastrophe caused by the floods in Slovenia and Austria”. The body of a man was recovered from a river in the southern border area of Austria, where heavy rains also caused floods and landslides.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) considers that global warming is making extreme weather events, such as floods, more frequent and intense.
AFP
