Heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms hit the city of Skopje and its northern suburbs late on Saturday.
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Reports said the water level reached as high as 1.5 metres (five feet) in some of the affected areas, which were being combed by Macedonia’s police and army for survivors and other victims.
The Mayor of Skopje, Kove Trajanovski, said: “This is a disaster”. At least six people are still missing, while 22 others have been taken to hospital with injuries.
Macedonia is mourning the victims of a deadly storm that hit country’s capital, leaving at least 21 people dead and more than 70 injured around Skopje.
Hundreds of homes and vehicles were destroyed by the floods, which left roads impassable and several areas without electricity.
The government of Skopje had issued a warning for people to remain in their houses Saturday ahead of the floods, but witnesses said that’s where many people drowned when they became trapped by the wall of water.
Gabriella Andreevska, who lives in southern Macedonia, said people from unaffected areas are planning to travel to flooded regions to help out.
Skopje’s city council held an emergency session and made a decision to provide financial help to victims’ families, giving 180,000 denars (3,000 euros) to each.
Forecasters predict more rain, and possibly strong winds.
A man walks through a flooded street in the village of Stajkovci, near Skopje, on August 7, 2016, following overnight torrential rains and fierce storms.
The Red Cross of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has launched an appeal to fund more emergency supplies including baby food, nappies and cleaning kits as people begin the hard task of clearing flood water and debris from their homes.
Meanwhile further north in the Balkans, in Croatia, heavy winds caused some disruptions to transport. He could not confirm the exact numbers quoted by the state news agency.
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Traffic has been limited on the bridges connecting the islands of Pag and Krk with the coast, while some ferry lines have been halted services with the islands of Pag and Rab.
