Footage shows the extent of devastating floods in the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland - Wendy Urquhart reports
River levels in the Czech Republic have risen sharply overnight after the authorities were forced to open several dams in the south of the country.
In the capital Prague, flood barriers have been raised to cope with the extra water on the River Vltava.
At least seven people have died in the Czech Republic and two in Austria after severe flooding and days of heavy rain.
Germany has drafted in the army to help with flood defences. Several cities have declared states of emergency.
In the Bavarian town of Passau, floodwaters have now reached a level not seen since the 16th Century, making much of the town inaccessible.
Charles Bridge closed
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.
On Monday morning, the River Vltava was flowing at 2,800 cubic metres per second - 10 times its normal volume - through Prague's historic centre.
As a precaution, the city's metro system and central sewage treatment plant were closed, metal flood defences were erected and sandbags built up along the banks of the Vltava.
The Charles Bridge - normally packed with tourists - has been closed and tigers at the city's zoo were even tranquilised 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, reports the BBC's Rob Cameron in the capital.
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.
Our correspondent says the Vltava in Prague is now rising again, the situation exacerbated by several swollen tributaries.
Passau, in the German region of Bavaria, is one of the cities worst hit by the flooding.
Firemen and soldiers are raising the city's flood defences again to cope with the extra volumes of water on the Vltava, which has already burst its banks in several places.
North of Prague, further downstream, the River Elbe is rising to levels approaching those seen in 2002, the last time Europe experienced similar floods.
Seventeen people were killed in the Czech Republic then and the cost of the damage across the continent was estimated at 20bn euros (£17bn).
Disaster zone
Main roads in many areas of central Europe have been closed and rail services cut. Thousands of homes are without power.
In Austria, the meteorological service said two months of rain had fallen in just two days.
Floods across Central Europe
- Austria Two people have died and several are missing in the west of the country
- Germany Evacuations have taken place in Saxony while Bavaria is forecast more heavy rain
- Czech Republic Seven people have died and Prague is on high alert. Troops have been called in to erect flood defences
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 neighbouring 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.
'Extremely dramatic'
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.
The head of Hungary's National Disaster Authority, Gyorgy Bakondi, said 400 people were working on flood defences in the capital, Budapest, where he said the level of the Danube might reach or even exceed the height seen in 2002.
No comments:
Post a Comment