VIENNA: Two people have perished and at least seven more were missing yesterday as torrential rains lashed central Europe, triggering floods and landslides and disrupting transport.
Austria and Germany sent in army units to help with rescue efforts after rains reached record levels in some areas, while hundreds of roads have been closed and rail services cut.
The banks of the mighty Danube river burst in one area in Germany while dozens of towns have been put on flood alert across a large swathe of central Europe.
In Austria, one person was killed and two people reported missing following landslides triggered by heavy rains that forced several hundred people from their homes, authorities said.
Two people were also missing in Germany following a 48-hour downpour that hit record levels in parts of the south and east, local rescue services and police said.
The southern German town of Passau on the Austrian border was partly flooded when the Danube burst its banks.
Further downstream, Austrian towns including Linz and Melk were bracing for the worst, with some local authorities fearing a repeat of the record floods in 2002 that caused damage of up to $9.7bn nationwide. Rail services between the southern German city of Munich and Salzburg in Austria were brought to a halt.
In the Czech Republic, one woman was killed and at least three other people were missing. Barriers have been erected along the banks of the Vltava river in Prague to prevent it from flooding and a state of emergency has been declared in about 50 towns and villages in the west of country. AFP
