Weather tracker: Kosovo floods trap people in homes and cut water supplies

Emergency rescuers step in as intense rain results in landslips, power cuts and communities left isolated

Kosovo has seen prolonged, intense rainfall this week leading to widespread flooding. Cities, towns and villages were inundated as rivers overflowed their banks. Communities were cut off and emergency services rescued people trapped in their homes. People lost their water supply as well as electricity in the Drenas, Malisheva and Rahovec municipalities after flood water entered electrical substations.

Personal weather stations across the south-west of the country recorded more than 50mm within 24 hours on Tuesday and Wednesday, with some local stations recording about 80mm in the municipality of Malisheva. This followed previously heavy rainfall from Saturday to Monday, during which official weather stations at Junik and Gllogjan in the west of the country recorded 231.5mm and 151.6mm of rain respectively within two days. A further 130mm fell in the region of Junik on Tuesday, exacerbating the flooding with landslips.