Hundreds of Dutch people evacuated in Slovenia, according to tour operator

Hundreds of Dutch people were also temporarily evacuated in storm-hit Slovenia. They were able to spend the night in sports halls or schools, for example. Many of them have since returned to their campsites, but for some, this is impossible because of the floods, tour operator manager Pieter Melieste of ACSI Kampeerreizen said. His company has about 200 campers in the area, but he knows there are many more Dutch people.

"This is the busiest week of the year, and Slovenia is quite popular with the Dutch. I know from one of the largest campgrounds there that there are about 2,000 guests. More than half of them are Dutch," Melieste said after reporting by NOS. Most of the guests at that campsite have since returned, he knows. They may also have packed their bags and moved on to another area already. The area of this large campground, however, has not yet been fully cleared, Melieste said.

At another campground, the damage appears to be much more extensive, according to Melieste. "A lot of tents and equipment and possibly cars have been lost there." Returning to the campground to continue the vacation there is not possible, he explained. However, he does not have exact figures. He advises vacationers with damage to contact their insurers. Of the 200 people who have booked through ACSI, Melieste knows they are at least safe. "But we have not yet been able to contact everyone personally".

According to the NOS, emergency services received nearly 4,000 calls from people in distress. Among them were vacationers struggling because of the floods. The flooding was so severe that there is not much left of most campsites that were located near rivers.

Slovenia has been hit by heavy rain and flooding since Thursday evening. Several villages in the affected area are cut off from the outside world by the water, according to authorities. Already on Friday, it was announced that two Dutch citizens from Gouda died in the country. On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that five Dutch nationals had also been reported missing. These were mainly reports from family members who were unable to make contact with Dutch nationals living in Slovenia, a spokesperson suspected.