Siberia's health officials warn of epidemic As Balkans mourn dead

Serbia on Tuesday declared three days of national mourning as the death toll from the worst floods to hit the Balkans in living memory rose to 49 and health officials warned of a possible epidemic. "More than 1.6 million people have been hit after the river Sava and its tributaries burst their banks, inundating tens of thousands of hectares of farmland and destroying homes and buildings," RIA Novosti reported. At least 49 people have been killed by the worst floods in central Europe for more than a century. Weather officials warned that the water level of the mighty Danube, Europe's second longest river after the Volga, could rise further on Wednesday at its confluence with the Sava in the Serbian capital Belgrade. Serbia, which has been the worst affected by the deluge, declared three days of mourning for its victims from Wednesday. "We have been affected 10 times more than the other countries in the region, but I hope the toll will not show that," Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said. Authorities have begun assessing the likely cost of the flood damage which is already expected to have reached hundreds of millions of euros.