Floods kill one in Albania and force evacuations as rivers burst banks in Albania and Montenegro

Rivers in Albania and Montenegro burst their banks after days of torrential rain and heavy snow across the western Balkans. At least one person has died, and emergency crews in both countries were working to clear water and restore transport links.

Albania: evacuations and a death in Durrës

In southern Albania, the Vjosa River overflowed near Novosela, in the Vlorë region. Evacuation orders followed.

Rescue teams used inflatable boats to reach residents trapped by the rising water. Among them were two elderly people whose home was flooded to a depth of around 1.5 metres.

The confirmed death toll in Albania stands at one. A 54-year-old man was found dead in an irrigation canal in Durrës after floodwaters swept him away.

Emergency services were working to clear water from around 800 buildings. Some 300 people had been given temporary shelter.

Parts of Albania recorded more than 100 millimetres of rain in 24 hours.

Montenegro: flooded villages and a destroyed crossing

Across the border, the Zeta River flooded residential areas in Danilovgrad. Around 30 homes and several nearby villages were affected.

Near Podgorica, a torrent destroyed a crossing. Soldiers and engineers built a temporary pontoon bridge to replace it.

Excavators were also deployed to clear drainage channels while crews worked to reopen transport routes.

What comes next

The flooding followed days of severe weather across the Balkans, with heavy rain falling alongside snow. Authorities have warned that further snowfall and icy conditions could bring more disruption.

That warning remains unresolved for both countries. Water is still being pumped out of hundreds of Albanian buildings, and the Montenegrin pontoon is a stopgap, not a repair. Neither government has published a damage estimate or a final casualty count.