Thunderstorms damaged nearly 12,000 houses: Serbian premier

BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic Monday said that the severe thunderstorms that recently hit Serbia damaged almost 12,000 houses.

Serbia and the countries of the Western Balkans region have been battling thunderstorms since July 19.

Brnabic said 13 local self-governments have declared an emergency, including the northern city of Novi Sad and the Backa Palanka municipality, which were badly affected.

She said a preliminary list of partially damaged or completely destroyed houses has been compiled.

The premier said the damage is estimated “in hundreds of millions of euros.”

Serbia on Tuesday will hold a meeting of the working group tasked with dealing with the consequences of the floods.

Meanwhile, flash flood-related casualties jumped to 6 in Slovenia after two more bodies of victims have been found, according to the media reports.

The Slovenian premier said Saturday that damage caused by flash floods is likely to exceed €500 million ($500 million) as the country is facing the worst natural disaster in its history.

Meanwhile, soldiers joined search and rescue efforts as two-thirds of the country has been affected by floods.

The government decided to ask the European Commission for aid from the European Solidarity Fund due to the disaster.

The storm is expected to continue in the region and cause significant material damage and endanger the safety of people and animals.