Severe storm kills 20 in Macedonia, 1,000 people rescued

A severe thunderstorm that dumped torrential rain on the Macedonian capital, Skopje, has killed at least 20 people, Deputy Health Minister Nikola Todorov said Sunday.

About 1,000 people were taken to safety and many of them were suffering from serious injuries. The military was supporting the rescue operations.

Earlier in the day, the Interior Ministry said that six people were reported missing and 22 were taken to hospitals after the storm raged for five hours on Saturday night.

In that five-hour period, Skopje saw approximately 93 litres of rain for every square metre. In some parts of the city, the streets were flooded several metres high, cars were trapped and landslides were also reported.

Flood warnings were announced for Sunday evening.