The flood situation in Europe, the alarm is raised in Italy, the country is expected to be hit by storm "Boris"

Intense storms battering central Europe are now reaching Italy, where warnings of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding have been issued across much of the country.

Flooding has already been reported in the central city of Pescara, while the Italian meteorological service's weather alerts are enforced from the northern coast of Emilia-Romagna all the way south.

The warnings come after floods devastated parts of Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Austria this week, leaving at least 21 people dead.

Authorities in Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia are also warning of flooding in the coming days.

The flooding has been caused by Storm Boris, which brought large amounts of rain and snow at the weekend.

More than 5,000 soldiers have been deployed to help people in southern Poland, including the 40,000 residents evacuated from the town of Nysa.

Floodwaters are receding in some places in the region and spreading to others, with the scale of damage detected in Polish towns like Glucholazy. The city's main bridge collapsed after being damaged by the river, while many of its roads are covered in mud.

Polish police on Tuesday confirmed at least six people have died, warning against false information following media reports that show the total number of people killed at more than a dozen.

The country's prime minister, Donald Tusk, has declared a month-old state of natural disaster, with the worst of the floods expected to hit the city of Wroclaw on Wednesday.

Areas along the Czech-Polish border are among the worst hit, with 15,000 people evacuated to the Czech Republic.