Belgrade - Violent storms and searing heat have left at least 11 people dead in south-east Europe during the weekend and forced thousands in Austria, Hungary and Yugoslavia to evacuate their homes to escape rock-falls and rising rivers. Two people went missing in Serbia as rain flooded large areas and 20 villages were cut off, just as the republic was coming to terms with the aftermath of the Kosovo war.
In Romania, more than 10 people have died since Thursday and several hundreds were hospitalised after a heat-wave hit the Balkans, with temperatures of up to 40 C (104 F). In Austria, 250 people had to be evacuated from their homes to escape from tonnes of rocky debris falling on to the western town of Schwaz. In Hungary, two people went missing when a wooden bridge was swept away late on Saturday.