Macedonian Flash Floods Kill At Least 21

A ‘Water Bomb’ of a Storm Kills 21 in Macedonia’s Capital, Skopje

SKOPJE, Macedonia — A freakishly violent rainstorm that Macedonia’s top weather official called a “water bomb” ravaged Skopje during the weekend, collapsing streets, inundating vehicles and drowning trapped motorists and homeowners, most of them caught by surprise.

At least 21 people were killed and 77 injured in what officials described on Sunday as the worst flooding disaster in a half-century to hit Skopje, the Macedonian capital and a city of more than a half-million people in the center part of the Balkan Peninsula.

Officials said the death toll could rise because many people were still missing after the storm, which hit with shocking ferocity on Saturday night.

More than 1,000 people were rescued from the raging water that flooded streets, buildings, houses, clinics and schools by the police, army units and firefighters. Traffic in much of the city was paralyzed. The Gazi Baba area, in the eastern part of Skopje, was particularly hard hit, with hundreds of homes losing power.

Underpasses throughout the city became instant lakes, completely submerging vehicles.

Невремето кое синоќа го зафати Скопје и околината направи пустош. Загинаа 21 лице, шест се водат како исчезнати, а најголеми штети претрпе регионот кај Стајковци, Сингелиќ, кај обиколницата кај Смилковци, Арачиново и село Црешово. Водата носеше се пред себе, потопени се куќи, однесени автомобили, затрупани се улици. Жителите спасуваат што може да се спаси.

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