In pics | 'Not a typical flood event': Heavy rains, landslides hit in parts of Slovenia, Austria

At least three people were killed after floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in northeastern and central parts of Slovenia, said officials, on Friday (August 4). 

Meanwhile, in Austria residents in St. Paul in the Lavanttal Valley of Carinthia were also asked to stay on the upper floors and avoid basements and bridges amid heavy rains and floods. 

The Slovenian environmental agency issued a “red alert” – the highest level – after a month’s amount of rain fell within 24 hours in the capital Ljubljana, along with Maribor and Celje. According to the country’s meteorologists, heavy rains will continue for at least the next 24 hours.

Officials in Slovenia, on Friday, also warned of more floods in other areas because of swiftly swelling rivers.

In an interview with Reuters, Nejc Smole, the mayor of the flood-hit town Medvode in Slovenia, said after the flooding on early Friday, it was clear early that this would not be "a typical flood event".

He said, authorities were working intensively to reach people still in need of evacuation in nearby towns and villages.

“Three people have died over the last 24 hours in weather-related incidents,” police spokeswoman Maja Adlesic told AFP.  

Among those killed were two Dutch citizens in the mountains surrounding Kranj affected by the storms, reported Slovenian news agency STA. 

The Dutch officials also confirmed the deaths but not the cause.

The third person was said to be an elderly Slovenian woman who died in the flooded town of Kamnik. However, the exact circumstances of their deaths remain unknown and are currently under investigation, said the police. 

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of several thousand people in parts of the town of Celje along the surging Savinja River. This comes after the same river swept away houses and caused landslides in the town of Ljubno. 

According to Slovenian media reports, flooding has caused the closure of the highway connecting the capital Ljubljana with the country’s north as well as some railway lines. This comes after rivers in the nearby areas have overflowed, and bridges as well as several houses have reportedly been destroyed. 

So far, around 16,000 households suffered power cuts and several villages were reported to be inaccessible. “Some areas are completely cut off and communication is also difficult,” said the country’s civil protection chief Srecko Sestan. 

This comes as rescuers, on Friday struggled to reach flooded areas and issued a public call for rubber boats in parts of the county which had been cut off because of road closures and impassibility due to landslides.

“We have not seen floods like these not just in 500 years, but in a 1,000 years,” Roman Kocilija, chief of the rescuers in the village of Most pri Komendi, told Slovenia’s N1 television. 

The administration for civil protection and disaster relief recorded more than 1,000 weather-related incidents within 12 hours across the country, reported STA.

Additionally, over 100 buildings including a sports hall were flooded in Skofja Loka where roads were also blocked. 

“The situation is serious,” Defence Minister Marjan Sarec told reporters, adding that the army had joined rescue and firefighter teams to help citizens in the most affected areas. He also urged people to stay at home and not drive anywhere. 

Meanwhile, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob returned to the country and cut his vacation short to meet with civil protection staff on Friday afternoon.

Similarly, in Austria roads to some villages in the southern state of Carinthia were blocked, reported the local authorities, on Friday while the district of Volkermarkt, bordering Slovenia particularly badly affected. 

Residents in St. Paul in the Lavanttal Valley of Carinthia were also asked to stay on the upper floors and avoid basements and bridges.

As of Friday morning, around 4,000 households were without electricity, as per the utility company Energie Steiermark. 

Forecasters in Slovenia also warned that the heavy rain and floods are expected to spread to neighbouring Croatia and Bosnia further to the south. 

Image shows firefighter pumping the water of a flooded street in St-Paul in Leventtal, Austria on August 4, 2023, following heavy rainfall.