Devastating rainfall far from done, moving east

According to the Environment Agency meteorologist, the heaviest downpours are now expected to shift to the south-east and then along the Croatian border towards the north-east.

"The weather is taking its course," Gregorčič told the press in Ljubljana. He said the amount of rainfall that fell in the past 12 hours was even larger than expected according to the most likely scenarios, with some areas hit by around 200 millimetres per square meter, the double of a month's worth of rain on average.

Streams and rivers have begun to flood, and further flooding is expected along the Krka, Sava, Drava, and Dravinja rivers. The flow of the Sava river at the country's exit has reached record levels, according to hydrologist Janez Polajnar.

The rainfall will continue throughout the day, with particularly severe conditions expected in the southeastern part of Slovenia, especially in the Kočevje region, along the Kolpa River, and in the Bela Krajina region.

The rainfall will moreover move towards the northeast along the Croatian border but also continue more centrally in the Savinja region around Celje. The rain is expected to weaken during the day tomorrow and cease by Sunday morning.

People have had to be evacuated from several parts of the country and according to Civil Protection commander Srečko Šestan, access to affected areas is blocked in many cases. Eighteen people had to be rescued by helicopter from the Menina camp on the Savinja, and there are also communication problems.

People have also been airlifted to safety from their flooded homes in Škofja Loka, north-west of Ljubljana, and helicopters are rescuing people stranded in the mountains.

The police reported several fatalities, but specific information about the circumstances is not available yet.