The death toll from the worst floods to hit the Balkans in decades rose significantly Sunday as water receded and rescuers gained access to stricken areas of Serbia and Bosnia. In Obrenovac, a town on the southern outskirts of Belgrade, 12 additional bodies were recovered, taking the overall Serbian death toll to 17, dpa quoted Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic as saying. "The situation is catastrophic, but there is also a lot of incorrect information," Vucic told Serbian state television RTS, adding that the number of casualties may rise further. Tens of thousands have been evacuated across Serbia since the flooding began amid heavy rainfall on Tuesday. The alert was still high in Serbia, as a flood wave on the river Sava was expected to reach several major cities including Belgrade later on Sunday. Embankments were reinforced with thousands of sandbags in Sremska Mitrovica, Sabac and Kostolac, and on the Mlava river, in an effort to protect thousands of homes, as well as chemical and power plants.
