Central Europe Floods Kill at least 10

World | June 4, 2013, Tuesday // 13:56
Bulgaria: Central Europe Floods Kill at least 10 Flood protection in Krems, Austria, 04 June 2013. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The death toll from the torrential rains and subsequent floods in Central Europe has reached 10 and may go up, as a number of people remain missing.

At least seven people have died in the Czech Republic, two in Austria and one in Switzerland after severe flooding and days of heavy rain, the BBC reported.

A man was found dead near Salzburg after being swept away as he worked to clear a landslip, and another man who had been listed as missing was found dead in the western state of Vorarlberg. Three people remain missing.

More than 300 people were moved from their homes in Salzburg and the neighboring Tyrol as the army worked with the civil authorities to clear landslides and make roads passable. Parts of the Pinzgau region, which includes Taxenbach, have been declared a disaster zone.

In the Czech Republic, a nationwide state of emergency is in force, with water levels expected to peak later on Tuesday. Around 3,000 people have been forced to leave their homes across the west of the country

Five people have died in the western region of Bohemia and  people are still missing, BBC said.

The Charles Bridge - normally packed with tourists - has been closed and tigers at the city's zoo were even tranquilized and moved out of an enclosure thought to be at risk.

By Monday evening, the people of Prague had thought the worst was behind them, BBC reported.

But then Prime Minister Petr Necas announced unexpectedly that a system of nine dams called the Vltava Cascade was dangerously full, and the pressure would have to be relieved.

At 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) the floodgates on several dams were opened.

As a precaution, the city's metro system and central sewage treatment plant were closed on Monday evening, metal flood defences were erected and sandbags built up along the banks of the Vltava.

Necas has promised 300 M Czech koruna ( US 15 M) to alleviate the suffering of the population, pointing that another 2 000 soldiers were ready to be deployed and help their 300 colleagues, who already erect temporary metal barriers and build in sandbags along Vltava banks.

1.3 M Czech koruna is available for financing the process of clearing up the affected areas.

"We will do anything to protect people's lives and health," Naces announced.

Thousands of households still do not have electricity, the Czech power supplier CEZ said.

The Bulgarian Government calls on Bulgarians to refrain from travel in Austria, the Czech Republic and the rest of the countries, where emergency has been declared, to follow the reports on the current situation and obey the orders of the local authorities.

The Bulgarian Embassies in Vienna and Prague have not received any information about Bulgarian citizens, affected by the floods, so far.

In Germany, the army said it had sent 1,760 soldiers to southern and eastern areas to help local authorities reinforce flood defences.

The Bavarian towns of Passau and Rosenheim declared states of emergency, as forecasters warned of continuing heavy rain and a high risk of flooding from several rivers, including the Danube.

Water levels in Passau, where the Danube is joined by the Inn and Ilz rivers, were at their highest since 1501 and might rise further, the DPA news agency said.

Much of the city is inaccessible on foot and the electricity supply has been cut as a precaution. Inmates at a prison in danger of being flooded have also been moved.

Towns and cities in Saxony, Thuringia and Baden-Wuerttemberg have also been inundated. The army has been deployed to help with the emergency effort.

In northern Saxony, water levels on the River Mulde were said to be particularly high.

A large area of Eilenburg north-east of Leipzig was evacuated, reports said, with 7,000 people being taken to emergency shelters.

Shipping was halted on parts of the Danube and Rhine rivers in Germany, and the entire length of the Danube in Austria. The rivers are used heavily to transport commodities such as grain and coal.

An emergency taskforce has been set up by the federal government, and Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to visit affected areas on Tuesday.

The European Union has said it stands ready to help the three countries as they tackle the devastating floods.

Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico also warned that there was a risk of flooding as water moved down the Danube, which flows through Bratislava.

"We are getting bad news from Germany and Austria. We have to do all we can to protect... the capital," he said.

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Tags: flood, Central Europe, death toll

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