At least eight people have died and five others are missing after two kayaks overturned in raging torrents in south-eastern Slovenia.
Divers pulled the bodies of the dead out of the River Sava.
They are still searching for at least five others who were part of the four-boat excursion.
The two boats overturned near the Blanca hydropower plant being built 60 miles (100km) from the capital.
The prime minister has called the accident "a great tragedy".
Slovenia's parliament cancelled its Friday session.
"Rescuers are doing everything that is humanely possible," Janez Jansa said from the site on Friday morning.
According to Slovenian media reports, a local mayor who is also a member of parliament was among the victims.
'Final Descent'
The accident took place late on Thursday. The kayakers had decided to make the final run down that section of the river before it was blocked by the hydroelectric plant.
The outing had been dubbed The Final Descent.
They left in four boats, though only two, each with seven people on board, hit trouble.
A Slovenian journalist who witnessed the accident from one of the other boats told reporters that two vessels capsized and broke apart when they hit torrents as they passed through the gates of the dam.
Seven bodies were retrieved from the water. Two people managed to swim ashore, though one later died in hospital.
The toll of eight dead makes it Slovenia's worst river disaster, according to the AFP news agency.
The rescue operation - which has involved a police helicopter, 15 divers and police and firemen - has been hampered by the river's strong currents.
(BBC)
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