Floods swamp roads, damage buildings in Kosovo, Albania

PRISTINA: Days of heavy rain and snow sparked flooding in parts of Kosovo and Albania on Monday as swollen rivers cut off road access to villages, damaged homes and inundated farmland.

On the outskirts of Kosovo's capital Pristina, cars were nearly submerged by the muddy floodwaters in some neighbourhoods, with rescuers using an inflatable dinghy to check in on residents in the surrounding apartment blocks.

The Kosovo Security Forces said rescue operations were being carried out in "several locations".

The floods tore down two bridges in Kosovo's south, caused a slab of road to collapse in a central village and left around 14 families isolated in a hamlet in the north, according to reports.

"Our emergency teams are on the ground offering assistance with all available means, and we call on all citizens to avoid road movements during rains and floods," said the head of emergency services in the eastern town of Gjilan, Sami Spahiu.

Days of rain and snow in neighbouring Albania also submerged several thousand hectares of land in the northwest, cut off a dozen roads and damaged buildings, authorities said.

At least 36 families in and around coastal Lezha and Durres were evacuated and around 20 buildings were damaged by the floods, according to a defence ministry statement.