Just a week ago, before deadly floods swept through central Europe, the Czech Republic looked on track to become the first country in the region since COVID-19 to pull its budget deficit firmly below the 3% of GDP cap set by European Union rules.

The number of deaths from the flooding in the Czech Republic has risen to four, police said on Wednesday. The body of a 70-year-old woman, who had been missing for days, was discovered in the community of Kobylá nad Vidnavkou.

A low-pressure system named 'Boris' caused the worst flooding in more than two decades from Romania to Poland over the past week, and also affected Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. Seven people were killed each in Poland and Romania,