Floods in Europe kill six; cities evacuated
At least six people are reported to have died and seven are missing due to floods in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic following days of heavy rainfall.
The Charles Bridge in the Czech Republic, normally packed with tourists at this time of year, has been closed to the public as have some other popular spots near the river at the foot of Prague Castle.
Rescuers have evacuated some 2,700 people across the western half of the country where the government declared a state of emergency in most regions.
Some people had to leave their homes in the southern neighbourhoods of Prague while further evacuations have been under way in the north, awaiting a flood wave expected later today.
Czech authorities were working to erect further protective metal barriers along the Vltava river, which also flows through the capital Prague.
Interim mayor Tomas Hudecek said no major evacuations were planned, but animals from a zoo located by the river have been taken to safety.
He said they were shutting down eight stations of the capital’s subway network and urging people not to travel to city.
Officials across central Europe issued disaster warnings and scrambled to reinforce flood defences as rivers swelled by days of heavy rain threatened to burst their banks.
Several people have died or are missing in the floods in Germany, the Czech Republic and Switzerland since Thursday.
Some residents also have been evacuated from flooding in south-western Poland.
Czech officials said the waters of the Vltava river could reach critical levels in Prague and that special metal walls were being erected to prevent flooding.
