At least 17 are dead, six are missing and 60 have been hospitalized after torrential rain hit the Macedonian capital of Skopje, authorities said Sunday.
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People leave their flood-hit homes in the village of Stajkovci, near Skopje, on August 7.
“We distributed blankets, mattresses and water to 1,000 people on Saturday night and on Sunday, we provided water, food, toiletries, mattresses, blankets and clothes for a further 1,000”. Parts of the city’s ring road were swept away in the floods, dragging cars into nearby fields.
Mayor Koce Trajanovski described the damage from the storms as “the worst Skopje has ever seen”.
Macedonia’s government announced a day of mourning on Monday after a devastating storm killed 21 people and wounded 56 over the weekend.
Hundreds of homes and vehicles have been destroyed by the floods.
“We can officially report 17 people dead and just while ago we have received the reports of three more deaths, so the total number will be probably 20 victims”, Todorov told reporters, adding that numerous injured had fractures and contusions. Search and rescue operations are underway in the affected area.
“This is a catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude”, Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Todorov said.
Torrential rains brought 93 liters of water per square meter in Skopje on Saturday evening, while more than 800 lightening strikes were registered in the first two hours of the storm, the agency said.
Local media reported that ambulances were called out 65 times across the city, more than 20 people were treated in hospital, and the army was called in to help.
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Disruptions created by the bad weather have created traffic backups, with many tourists trying to reach Croatia’s coastal resorts along the Adriatic Sea.
