Your support helps us to tell the story
King Charles expresses his profound shock and sadness after floods across Europe caused by Storm Boris forced thousands to evacuate their homes.
Central Europe has been ravaged by floods, brought on by Storm Boris, that have caused billions of dollars of damage and killed at least 24 people.
Fatalities have been recorded in Romania, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, with fears growing about the impact on Italy.
Floods have threatened new areas and heavy rains have forced around 1,000 people in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna to evacuate.
The latest evacuations come as King Charles said he and his wife were “profoundly shocked and saddened to see the destruction and devastation caused by the catastrophic flooding in central Europe”. He said he sent their heartfelt condolences to those who have lost loved ones.
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen has pledged billions of euros in aid for central European countries that have suffered damage to infrastructure and housing during the floods.
Von der Leyen paid a quick visit to a flood-damaged area in southeastern Poland and met with the heads of the governments of the affected countries.
She told a news briefing: “Here we say it’s 100% European money, no co-financing. These are extraordinary times, and extraordinary times need extraordinary measures.”
King Charles said in a statement: “Many people in the United Kingdom have strong, enduring and personal ties to the region and, together with them, my wife and I send our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to all those who have so tragically lost their loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods.
“We have immense admiration for the sheer courage and dedication of the emergency services across the region who have clearly worked relentlessly to provide desperately needed support, relief and assistance to the countless people whose lives and properties have been dreadfully disrupted.”
In Hungary, flood waters continued to rise on Friday as authorities closed roads and rail stations. In Budapest water spilled over the city’s lower quays and threatened to reach tram and metro lines.
Czech interior minister Vit Rakušan said one more person was reported killed on Thursday in the country’s hard-hit northeast, bringing the death toll there to five. Seven people were killed in Poland and Romania and five in Austria.
Storm Boris was triggered by a low-pressure system, where cold Arctic air collided with warm air from the south, further intensified by record-high sea-surface temperatures in the Mediterranean.
The atmospheric pressure pattern caused the storm to remain stationary for an extended period.
Climate change has contributed to the effects of Boris, with claims Italy’s far-right government lacks the will to confront the crisis.
