At least 17 people have been killed and 60 hurt after Macedonia's capital Skopje was hit by flooding, with warnings the number of dead could rise.
Part of the ring road around the city was swept away during torrential rain and some cars were reportedly carried hundreds of metres into fields.
The nearby villages of Stajkovci, Aracinovo and Smiljkovci were also badly affected by thunderstorms and strong winds on Saturday night.
Most victims are believed to have drowned in their houses when large amounts of water swept through the area.
Hundreds of homes and vehicles were destroyed by the floods, which left roads impassable and several areas without electricity.
Some cars were reportedly carried hundreds of metres into fields
More than 1,000 people had been evacuated as police and army units in helicopters search for several missing following the storm.
The capital's mayor Koce Trajanovski said the damage was "the worst Skopje has ever seen".
Deputy prime Minister Nikola Todorov called it "a catastrophe of unprecedented proportion" and warned the death toll could go up.
Special police forces and trucks loaded with drinking water were heading for the worst affected areas.
The government is believed to be planning to declare a state of emergency for two weeks.
By Sunday morning, the rain had stopped and water levels were receding, but more downpours were forecast for the capital later in the day.
from
http://betternews.co.uk/macedonian-flooding-039catastrophe039-as-21-die
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