Central Europe Floods Kill 10 People

River floods in Central Europe have killed at least 10 people so far in areas extending from Poland to Romania. Floodwaters have submerged or hit several towns with sudden flows of water laden with debris after days of heavy rain. Border areas between the Czech Republic and Poland were severely damaged over the weekend, with some bridges collapsing and homes destroyed, while villages and towns in eastern Romania were flooded. Although river waters began to recede in the border area between the Czech Republic and Poland on Monday, the floods have spread to more areas, prompting a state of alert and caution in major cities in both countries. In the Czech Republic, the mayor of Letovel, a town of about 10,000 people, 230 kilometres (140 miles) east of Prague, said the Morava River had risen by about 70 percent overnight, forcing the closure of schools and health facilities. The flooding in Ostrava, the regional capital of the northeastern Czech Republic, has forced the closure of a power plant that supplies the city with heat and hot water, as well as two chemical plants. Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Twitter on Monday that more than 12,000 people had been evacuated in the Czech Republic and called for an emergency government session on Monday. Czech television confirmed the first death from flooding on Monday, bringing the total number of fatalities across central Europe to 10,000. In Romania, flooding killed six people over the weekend, an Austrian firefighter died on Tuesday and a person drowned in Poland on Monday. The capitals of Slovakia and Hungary are bracing for flooding as the Danube rises. In Austria, water levels in rivers and behind dams and reservoirs fell slightly overnight as the rainfall eased, but officials said they expected a second wave of heavier rain in the next few hours. Source: National Iraqi News Agency