Serbia has appealed to the EU, Russia and others for aid after the worst natural disaster in a century hit the country, claiming lives and causing mass evacuations.

Bridge in Serbian town of Sabac.Photo by BETA

The Serbian government on Thursday asked the EU, Russia and neighbouring Slovenia for assistance after the Prime Minister declared torrential flooding “the biggest catastrophe in the history of Serbia,” and after the government declared a state of national emergency.

“I am begging people to listen, you cannot beat nature, and when you are not listening rescuers, you are risking both yours and their lives,” Aleksandar Vucic said, urging people to heed orders to evacuate threatened homes.

The death toll on Thursday stood at four. One was a rescuer who lost his life trying to evacuate a family near the river Jasenica in central Serbia. Authorities in the town of Lajkovac reported two elderly dead as a result of floods on Wednesday morning. A fourth died in the Belgrade area.

The army and police said they were using helicopters to rescue people trapped by flooding in areas where vehicles can no longer obtain access. The flooding caused shortage of power to some 100,000 households.

The heavy rain that started on Tuesday night caught the country unprepared. It has not stopped since then and has blocked most major roads in Serbia.

The most critical situation is in central Serbia, in the town of Cacak, where around 160 homes have been evacuated and most roads in the area are blocked.

“Evacuation of people is continuing, especially in [the towns of] Valjevo, Kosjeric, Preljina and all along the rivers Kolubara and Morava,” Predrag Maric, head of the emergency services sector, told BETA news agency.

One of the four victims was reported drowned in the Belgrade area.

“In Umcari, one person drowned who didn’t listen to the authorities, which advised people to leave their homes. Our goal is to avoid such cases in the future,” the Mayor of Belgrade, Sinisa Mali, said./balkaninsight/