Record Rains, Floods across Europe Claim More Than 70

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, August 14, 2002

Record Rains, Floods across Europe Claim More Than 70

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Record torrential rains and floods have plagued European continent, from Germany to Russia, over the past week, claiming a total of more than 70 deaths and forcing hundreds of thousands people to evacuate.

The Czech Republic was hit on Tuesday by the worst floods in more than a century. In the capital city of Prague, the floodwaters were registered at some 4,000 cubic meters per second, approximately 27 times the regular rate.

The death toll in the Czech Republic rose to nine after an elderly man was found drowned south of Prague. About 50,000 local people were forced to leave their homes as the rushing waters of the river Vltava, which runs through the capital city, spilled over the dams into the streets.

The situation in other parts of the country was also critical. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in southern Bohemia where the city centers of Ceske Budejovice, Cesky Krumlov,Plzen and Strakonice were under water.

The Czech government declared a state of emergency in Prague and five other regions in Bohemia. Interior Minister Stanislav Gross said in total 200,000 people across the country had been forced to leave their homes.

In Germany, a state of emergency was declared in parts of the eastern state of Saxony and in southern Bavaria where continuous heavy rains swamped cities and residential areas.

It was reported that three people were killed and many others are missing in the country's worst floods for decades.

Roaring rivers across Austria burst their banks on Tuesday, leaving seven people drowned and towns and villages immersed.

Austrian President Thomas Klestil said the floods were the worst in terms of damage the country has witnessed since the founding of the republic in 1918. Meteorologists pointed out the rainfall in some parts of the country over the past few days had been the heaviest in more than 100 years.

Russia was also severely affected by the devastating floods. A spokesman for the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry announced on Sunday that the death toll in the floods in Russia's southern Krasnodar region had risen to 58 with others listed as missing.

According to preliminary data, 379 houses were completely destroyed and 1,823 were damaged.

In southern Romania, three people were killed and 18 injured ina hurricane on late Monday, while in Bulgaria, electricity supplies were cut off and harvests suffered heavy losses from storms.

Volunteers, police, military and other rescue staff were mobilized in the disaster-stricken countries in the fight against the floods, employing motorized rafts, rowboats and helicopters for transport.

The torrential floods caused heavy losses to the European countries. Houses, shops and farms were inundated, and bridges, roads and railways were swept away.

It is estimated that the floods have caused damage worth millions of dollars in the Czech Republic. The Czech crown fell onTuesday due to fears of the disaster's impact on the country's economy.

Tourist trade is also badly affected as many of the flood-stricken areas are tourist destinations.

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