Poland Floods Death Toll Climbs to 15

Firemen build dikes in Torun, north Poland, 23 May 2010. Water levels are beginning to go down in the south of the country but rivers are now taking the floodwaters north. Photo by EPA/BGNES

A total of 15 persons have lost their lives in the worst floods in Poland in 60 years.

In addition to that, the floods triggered by incessant heavy rains over the past few weeks, which inundated several regions in Poland, have caused damages estimated to cost EUR 2.4 B, according to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as cited by BGNES.

The levels of the Vistula and Oder rivers have continued to increase, and the population in low-lying areas near the Vistula River in Warsaw has been prepared for evacuation. One of the major boulevards running along the river has been closed for traffic.

According to a spokesperson of the Polish fire fighting service, the floods in along the two major rivers are the worst since 1884.

Several dams in southeastern and central Poland have collapsed flooding a number of towns and villages.

Germany, France, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Czech Republic, among other states, have sent rescue and relief teams to Poland.

The floods are affecting increasingly the northern parts of the country, and the situation in southern Poland has gradually started to stabilize.

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