Floods in the region of Macedonia’s Tetovo have claimed the lives of several people, including two children.

A number of villages have been rendered totally inaccessible due to landslides.

The flooding, caused by torrential rain and the overflowing of the Pena River, claimed the lives of two children aged 10 and 13 in the village of Shipkovitsa, according to reports of the BGNES news agency.

The dead body of a man aged around 80 was also discovered.

According to unconfirmed reports, the death toll stands at 5, with 9 people receiving treatment for injuries at hospitals.

Late on Monday Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, accompanied by Defense Minister Zoran Jolevski, Interior Minister Mitko Chavkov, and Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Peshevski, arrived in Tetovo.

Gruevski confirmed that people had been killed in the floods and described the situation as very serious.

An extraordinary meeting of the government is to be held in Skopje on Tuesday to decide on measures to help those affected by the disaster.