"We are at the verge of a real catastrophe and, according to forecasters, heavy rainfalls will continue in coming days," Prime Minister Sali Berisha warned.

Berisha, who visited the flooded areas on Tuesday, called on "women, children and older population to leave their homes to avoid the worst."

"Only the men can stay," Berisha said during the visit.

Despite appeals by the authorities, a large majority of inhabitants of the villages have refused to leave their homes and cattle, fearing they would lose them in floods.

Local media reported that around 100 villagers who were evacuated by the army troops, returned to their flooded homes on Tuesday.

"If necessary, we will evacuate people by force as our primary goal is to save their lives," Leonard Olli, head of the civilian emergency services, told reporters in the capital Tirana.

Olli said that at least 570 houses have been flooded, while another 200 were cut off by floodwaters.

"Some 3,500 hectares (8,648 acres) of agricultural lands are still under water and the forecasters dread that river dams could break and endanger the lives of inhabitants," he warned.

Heavy rains in the past days have also forced the authorities here to open the gates of the dam at the hydroelectric power station Vau i Dejes, causing flooding of several villages near the Adriatic sea.

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