Severe flooding across eastern and central Europe has claimed at least six lives, with multiple people reported missing.

The situation is expected to worsen as further rainfall is forecasted, causing river levels to surge and prompting authorities to remain on high alert, Sky News reports.

In Romania, four fatalities were reported by Saturday, while tens of thousands of homes have been damaged. Neighbouring Czech Republic has also been severely impacted, with thousands evacuated across the border.
The flooding has brought significant disruption to the region, and concerns are rising as the weather outlook remains unfavourable.

The death toll from severe flooding in Europe increased Sunday, with reported fatalities in Poland and Austria. In southwest Poland, one person drowned, while in Austria, a firefighter lost their life battling floodwaters.
In eastern Romania’s Galati county, rescue efforts uncovered the bodies of four people – three elderly women and one man – on Saturday.

The region suffered extensive damage, with approximately 5,000 homes affected and 25,000 residents left without electricity.

Intense rainfall pounded the area, with some regions receiving over 160 liters (42 gallons) of rain per square meter.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis offered his condolences to the victims’ families, saying: “We must continue to strengthen our capacity to anticipate extreme weather phenomena.”We are again dealing with the effects of climate change, which are increasingly present throughout the European continent, with dramatic consequences on people.”

Czech police said three people were reportedly swept away in a car in the northeast and their whereabouts are unknown.

Some 10,000 out of a population of 56,000 in Opava have been asked to vacate their homes.

Mayor Tomas Navratil told the Czech public radio it was worse than during the last devastating floods in 1997, known as the “flood of the century”.

Similarly in Austria, 24 villages in the northeast Lower Austria province were declared as “disaster zones” by the authorities.