Budapest on high alert as water levels threaten flood fences
Budapest is on high alert as the River Danube water levels reach record highs and threaten to flood the city.
Staff from hotels on the bank of the Danube massed sandbags outside their buildings alongside homeowners and military reservists in an attempt to protect the capital.
The Danube, which flows through four capital cities and ten countries, was expected to peak at 29.4 feet in Budapest last night – very near the river’s flood fences which are 30.5 feet tall.
A dam has also broken on the flood-swollen River Elbe in eastern Germany, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes around the city of Magdeburg.
Hungary announced a state of ‘extreme danger’ which is likely to last into this week as the waters are expected to recede very slowly.
However, authorities have said that river defences designed to withstand floods would be high enough to protect the city, reports the BBC.
Tens of thousands have been forced to leave their homes and at least a dozen people have been killed in floods that have affected Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic in the last week.
Various European countries affected are planning a crisis meeting to see how the cost of the disaster can be shared.
Passengers on a River Danube cruise with Titan Travel were rescued on Friday after being stranded for days on board the Filia Rheni II, see previous story.
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