Storm Boris wreaks havoc across Europe with seven fatalities and four missing

Flooded streets in Glucholazy, southern Poland
-Credit: (Image: AFP via Getty Images)


At least seven people have lost their lives and four are reported missing as Storm Boris brings severe flooding to Europe. Videos show homes submerged in water, with emergency responders rescuing those stranded, as the extreme weather forces widespread evacuations across Central Europe.

The floods have resulted in five fatalities in Romania, and one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four individuals swept away by floodwaters are currently missing, according to the police. The majority of the Czech Republic has been impacted, with authorities issuing the highest flood warnings in approximately 100 locations nationwide.

However, the situation is most dire in two northern regions that have experienced the heaviest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniky mountains near the Polish border. In the city of Opava, up to 10,000 residents, out of a population of around 56,000, have been instructed to relocate to higher ground.

Read more Met Office issues urgent 5-hour weather warning for 'dense' fog with Midlands worst hit

Rescuers are utilizing boats to transport people to safety in a neighborhood inundated by the overflowing Opava River, reports the Mirror. "There's no reason to wait," Mayor Tomas Navratil told Czech public radio, stating that the situation is more severe than the devastating floods of 1997, known as the "flood of the century."

"We have to focus on saving lives," Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czech public television on Sunday. His government is scheduled to convene on Monday to assess the damage.

The prime minister cautioned that the worst "is not behind us yet," as the flooding continues to spread throughout the country. Thousands were evacuated in the towns of Krnov, which was almost completely flooded, and Cesky Tesin as the Oder River reached extreme levels in Ostrava and Bohumin, leading to widespread evacuations.

Towns and villages in the Jeseniky mountains, including Jesenik itself, were swamped and cut off by floodwaters that transformed roads into rivers. The military deployed a helicopter to assist with evacuations. Jesenik mayor Zdenka Blistanova reported several houses have been destroyed by the floods in her town and surrounding areas.

Numerous bridges and roads suffered significant damage. Around 260,000 households were without electricity on Sunday morning across the country, while traffic on many roads, including the key D1 highway, came to a standstill.

In Austria, a firefighter tragically lost his life after "slipping on stairs" during basement water-pumping operations in Tulln, according to Dietmar Fahrafellner, head of Lower Austria's fire department. The entire state of Lower Austria has been declared a disaster zone, with emergency services having evacuated over 1,100 homes so far.

"We are experiencing difficult and dramatic hours in Lower Austria. For many people in Lower Austria these will probably be the most difficult hours of their lives," stated Johanna Mikl-Leitner, the governor of Lower Austria. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, en route to the disaster-stricken area in Lower Austria, mentioned that 2,400 soldiers were on standby to aid the relief efforts.

In Vienna, the Wien River burst its banks, leading to the flooding of homes and the initial evacuations of residences near the river. Romanian authorities reported on Sunday that another individual had perished in the severely affected eastern county of Galati, where four deaths had already been recorded the previous day due to unprecedented rainfall.

Poland is also grappling with the crisis as Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Sunday that one person is presumed dead following floods in the southwest. Mr Tusk described the situation as "dramatic" in the vicinity of Klodzko, a town of around 25,000 inhabitants situated in a valley within the Sudetes mountains close to the Czech border.

The town of Glucholazy saw rising waters breach a river embankment, inundating streets and properties. Mayor Pawe Szymkowicz said, "we are drowning," urging locals to seek higher ground.

Some flooded regions have experienced disruptions to energy supplies and communications, with contingency plans potentially involving the satellite-based Starlink service, according to Mr Tusk. The region, which had a warm start to September, is now facing what could be the worst flooding in almost three decades due to Storm Boris.