Woman drowns in Serbia floods, hundreds evacuated, children out of schools

BELGRADE, Serbia – Authorities in Serbia say one woman has drowned and hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes because of floods caused by heavy rains that have gripped the Balkans.

Officials say emergency measures have been declared throughout Serbia to battle the rising waters which have closed roads and bridges, stranding people in buses and cars.

Belgrade city authorities have shut down schools Thursday and Friday. They say a two-month quantity of rain has fallen on the capital city in just 40 hours.

Firefighters say a woman in a suburban area of Belgrade drowned after she refused to be evacuated from her home.

In neighbouring Bosnia, heavy rainfall is also pushing rivers to critical levels, including in the capital Sarajevo, closing a downtown bridge and disrupting power supplies.