Floods kill 34 in Balkans; Fears for Serbia's main power plant

The Serbian capital Belgrade is braced for a river water surge that threatens to inundate the country’s main power plant and cause major power cuts, as the Balkans continue to struggle with the consequences of the worst flooding in south-eastern Europe in more than a century.

At least 17 people died in Serbia in the five days of flooding caused by unprecedented torrential rain, laying waste to entire towns and villages and forcing tens of thousands of people out of their homes, authorities said.