Dam has burst - the water is rushing: "Carry everything with you"

Floods
Heavy flooding in Poland - dam has burst

Martin Palmborg,

Emil Forsberg

Updated 16.39 | Published 16.32

Poland has been hit by heavy floods.

In Stronie Śląskie, a dam has burst and large parts of the town are under water.

The emergency services are now using helicopters to evacuate the residents.

Storm Boris has hit southwestern Poland hard.

On Sunday morning, the country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that 1,600 people had been evacuated and that one man had died in the floods, according to  Pap.

- I saw a man lying with his face in the water in a flooded house, says a witness to WP.

The police have tried to pick up the dead man from the water but cannot reach him.

- Our police do not get there because the city is flooded, says the police.

Now Fakt reports that a dam has burst in the town of Stronie Śląskie.

Major floods in the city of Klodzko. Photo: Krzysztof Zatycki / AP

Vehicles are swept along

Pictures on social media show how the water gushes along the streets creating great devastation. Vehicles are swept along, while people's homes are destroyed.

At the same time, sirens sound over the cities.

"The water rushes into buildings with full force. It carries with it everything in its path," writes the Polish rescue service on  X.

Many residents did not manage to evacuate before the city was flooded and rescue workers have difficulty reaching residents by boat. They have instead had to use helicopters to evacuate the residents, writes Fakt.

Here a man has water up to his waist.

          

          

        1 / 2Photo: Krzysztof Zatycki / AP

"We are drowning"

The town of Głuchołazy has also been flooded after a temporary dike burst.

- I appeal to all residents to evacuate to higher areas. We are drowning, the city's mayor Paweł Szymkowicz told Radio Zet on Sunday morning.

According to the country's meteorological institute, IMGW, more is expected on Sunday and Monday, which could worsen the situation further.

2,000 troops have been deployed to deal with the chaos that may await.

- The worst is yet to come, says Bystrzyca Kłodzka mayor Renata Surma.

According to the mayor, more water is expected than the disaster in 1997 in the Odra and Vistula where 54 people died.

President Andrzej Duda has called for a crisis meeting with the country's fire service on Sunday afternoon.

         
          Polish police are helping to evacuate.