Death toll rises as Storm Boris lashes central and eastern Europe

One person has drowned in Poland and an Austrian firefighter has died responding to floods, authorities said Sunday, as Storm Boris lashed central and eastern Europe with torrential rains.

Since Thursday, swathes of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia have been hit by high winds and unusually heavy rainfall.

The rains have flooded streets and submerged entire neighbourhoods in some places, while shutting down public transport and electricity in others.

The situation is considered worse in some areas than during the unprecedented floods of 1997.

Romanians waded through armpit-high water to safety, Poles sought shelter in schools and Czechs hurriedly put up sand dykes in an effort to keep the water at bay.