Hundreds of interventions were recorded in Slovenia since Thursday evening due to torrential floods caused by heavy rain. Three camps have been evacuated, and several villages are cut off from the rest of the country.

At least three people have died in the extreme rainfall and subsequent floods, the Slovenian news agency STA reported on Friday. A Slovenian man died in the Kamnik area, while two Dutch nationals were killed in the mountains near Kranj. The circumstances of their deaths are still being investigated, the police said.

“It seems that the death in Kamnik was caused by the flooding, and in the mountains by lightning strike. We are still investigating,” the police told STA.

Gorenjska, Koruska and Zgornjesavinjska valleys were flooded, and thousands of people are left without electricity. The repair services are trying the reach them, calling on citizens to stay away from the electric installations.

Some residents of the town of Skofja Loka have been trapped and are being evacuated from the rooftops with helicopters. According to the police, several roads have been closed.

Intervention leader in the village of Komenda, Roman Koncilija, said that the services are on the ground, monitoring the water levels.

“This is not something we see every five hundred years, we see this once in a thousand years. Even if we tried to prepare and protect property, no one would think to create such tall barriers. We’re talking two, two and a half meters,” he said.

Heavy rain in Croatia

The Croatian State Hydrometeorological Institute (DHMZ) has issued a red alert for two regions of Croatia, and orange and yellow alerts for the rest of the country, meaning the weather is predicted to be potentially dangerous. Due to the situation in the neighbouring countries, they are expecting the levels of Mura, Sava, and Drava rivers to rise significantly in Croatia on Friday and Saturday.

Zagreb Deputy Mayor Luka Korlaet talked about the preparations in the Croatian capital.

“We are in contact with the DHMZ. Up until now, we were receiving reports from the Civil Protectorate, but now we are communicating (with the DHMZ) directly. All the services are at stand-by,” he said.

“Be prepared to protect yourselves and your property. Flooding of roads and properties is possible, as well as breaks in electricity and water supply and communication networks. Driving conditions are dangerous due to low visibility and wet roads,” the DHMZ has warned.