One person died in Serbia and authorities scrambled to evacuate hundreds of others from villages threatened by rising rivers, officials said on Tuesday (September 16), in scenes reminiscent of the devastating May flooding that killed dozens.

The Serbian government has declared a state of emergency in three eastern municipalities along the River Danube - Kladovo, Negotin and Majdanpek - after several days of heavy rainfall.

Predrag Maric, head of Serbia's Department for Emergency Situations, said rescuers had evacuated some 400 people from the Kladovo area of eastern Serbia.

In the village of Tejika, at the border with Romania, heavy rains caused rivers to swell and the collapse of a bridge.

Footage showed residents clearing areas of debris, as streams flowed through their housing, and cars were left submerged in mud.

Serbia's state-run Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) utility said that the Djerdap 2 hydro-power plant on the Danube, jointly operated with Romani