Heavy rainfall, flash floods caused widespread damage in Slovenia causing major damage to roads and the energy sector.At least four people died in Slovenia as torrential rains and floods wreaked havoc across the Alpine country, in a major natural disaster.

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Three people were found dead on Friday while the fourth person was reported dead by Slovenian media on Saturday.

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Among the deceased victims, two were Dutch climbers who died in the mountains near Kranj on Friday, Slovenia's STA news agency reported, citing police.

A Slovenian woman was also reported among those who dead on Friday due to flooding in the town of Kamnik. Authorities also retrieved a man's body on the outskirts of Ljubljana on Saturday. At least five Dutch citizens have been missing amid extreme weather conditions, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said.

Thousands of people had to evacuate their homes and many were moved by rescue teams to safer locations through helicopters and boats.

Unprecedented devastation in Slovenia

The extreme weather that powered through on Friday started to ease on Saturday and authorities began assessing the extent of damage.

Prime Minister Robert Golob said the floods led to property damage amounting to $550 million (about €500 million).

"This is the worst natural disaster in Slovenia's (recent) history, it has affected two-thirds of the country," he said on Saturday after attending the National Security Council meeting.

The heavy rainfall caused widespread damage leading to the collapse of at least three bridges and mainly impacted roads and the energy infrastructure in Slovenia.

Large sections of roads were left submerged under water severely impacting transportation and access to villages.

Flash floods were also reported in Austria where some 80 people needed to be evacuated in the southern Carinthia province.

mfa/sms (dpa, AFP, AP)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 06, 2023 11:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).