Poland’s flooding death toll rises after more bodies found

WARSAW, Poland — The death toll in Poland from recent floods rose to nine after two more bodies were found, the national police chief said Saturday. 

One person is still missing, police chief Marek Boron said during a government meeting on the effects of the floods that hit southwestern Poland earlier this month. 

The floods following torrential rains inundated houses and damaged bridges and roads in the towns of Stronie Slaskie, Nysa and many villages in the area. More than 20 people have died in Poland and elsewhere in Central Europe from the floods. 

A German citizen is among the dead in Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said earlier this week. 

In the wake of the floods, Poland’s 2025 draft budget will set aside $836 million as a reserve for dealing with natural disasters, the government said Saturday. 

The worst floods in at least two decades left many towns in southwestern Poland submerged, and the government plans to free up millions of dollars from the budget and European Union funds to deal with the aftermath. 

The deluge has also compounded the financial worries of a government facing the prospect of EU budget discipline measures. 

In a statement published after the government adopted the 2025 budget with changes due to the floods, it said that the reserve for counteracting and removing the effects of natural disasters would be increased. 

It said that around $5 million in EU funds would be allocated to helping regions affected by the floods. 

Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski said that no decision has been made on whether changes to the 2024 budget would be necessary. 
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