Acute problems of Dutch tourists in flood areas in Slovenia seem to be solved
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was able to contact the last Dutch people in Slovenia who could not be reached after the storm in the country, a spokesperson informed.
The acute problems for Dutch nationals from the storm area in Slovenia seem to have been solved, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On Sunday, as previously announced, 85 Dutch nationals staying in the area will be evacuated by bus. Some Dutch nationals have not yet been contacted, but that is probably because their phones are not charged or they cannot get a connection.
Most of the affected Dutch have been housed in a school in Rečica ob Savinji, a village northeast of Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana. The majority of the Dutch tourists have since returned home.
Embassy staff who were in the area witnessed the massive damage caused by the heavy rains and resulting flooding and reported overturned caravans at campsites. In general, Slovenia is a popular vacation destination for the Dutch.
However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not have an overview of the number of Dutch nationals in Slovenia. This is because it is an EU member state where they can travel without border controls. In addition, not everyone follows the advice to report to the embassy via an app that they are in the country.
Four people have died in the storms in Slovenia. Among them are two Dutch citizens from Gouda. Houses, roads, and energy infrastructure in the affected area were severely damaged. On Saturday evening, a dam broke in the east of the country, after which people had to be evacuated.
Rescue services in Slovenia also had their hands full on Sunday to deal with the aftermath of the storm. Rescue workers had to go out Saturday night to pump out water, evacuate people, remove fallen trees and deliver emergency supplies.
According to Slovenian media, there are also warnings of possible landslides. Because of this danger, at least 110 people had to be brought to safety near Koroška Bela and elsewhere in the border region with Austria. In the town of Dolnja Bistrica, around 500 residents had been evacuated on Saturday evening after a dam burst.
Reporting by ANP
