Landslides in Serbia cause damage of US$50 million

Landslides in central Serbia, brought on by heavy rains and melting snow in the past weeks, have caused damage of US$50 million ( Ђ 41.31 million), a government minister said Monday.

Photo: Landslides in Serbia cause damage of US million

Investment Minister Velimir Ilic said that more than 1,000 landslides have destroyed hundreds of houses, dozens of roads and thousands of acres of arable land, threatening entire villages and leaving hundreds of people homeless.

Experts have said that the landslides were caused by the spring melt-off which led to the swelling of rivers and underground waters.

Ilic said the government was preparing for another possible wave of flooding by the swelling Danube, particularly in the north of the republic.

"We have checked the dams and fortified the river banks," Ilic said, reports the AP.

I.L.