Foreign Office warns UK tourists 'we can't provide advice' after death toll hits 16

UK tourists have been warned by the Foreign Office after the death toll from torrential rain and flooding in central and eastern Europe has risen to at least 16. The Czech Republic, Poland and Austria fear the worst may yet be to come as thousands are evacuated to higher ground.

The Foreign Office warned: "Due to floods in the East of Austria, road closures and disruptions to public transport may occur in affected areas. Check road traffic information and public transport updates from Austrian railways and Vienna public transport before you travel."

It adds: "Heavy rain and flooding is causing severe disruption in the Lower Silesia (Dolnośląskie), Silesian (Śląskie) and Opolskie Voivodeships in southwest Poland. Check local conditions before you travel and follow the instructions of the Polish authorities if you are in these areas. "

READ MORE Drivers refunded after being 'wrongly charged' due to camera position

"The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) cannot provide tailored advice for individual trips. Read this travel advice and carry out your own research before deciding whether to travel," it said. Contact your travel provider and your insurer if you are involved in a serious incident or emergency abroad.

They will tell you if they can help and what you need to do. The Czech police chief, Martin Vondrášek, told local radio on Monday that a woman had drowned in a stream that overflowed its banks near Bruntál, a town of about 15,000 people in the north-east of the country, while seven more people were still unaccounted for.

The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, urged people to “follow the instructions of mayors and firefighters”. “Very difficult days for many people, unfortunately, continue,” Fiala said on Monday, with 207 areas across the country facing flood conditions.

The most critical situation was in southern Bohemia, he said, adding: “Please be careful and responsible.” Romania’s prime minister, Marcel Ciolacu, said the country would “clean up and see what can be salvaged”.

“There’s no reason to wait,” the mayor, Tomáš Navrátil, told Czech public radio, saying the situation was worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the “flood of the century”.