Europe floods: Natural disaster to be declared in France

France is to declare a state of natural disaster in areas worst hit by flooding in recent days, President Francois Hollande says.

The measure frees up funds, with some towns in central France suffering their severest floods in decades.

In Paris the Seine continues to rise, prompting the closure of a metro line running through the city centre.

Heavy rains across Europe have left at least 10 people dead, most of them in Germany.

More downpours are forecast right through the weekend across a band of central Europe from France to Ukraine, with as much as 50mm (2in) of rain falling in some parts in just a few hours.

'Totally under water'

After a day of respite on Wednesday in central France, the region is braced for a further rise in already exceptionally high river levels.

The Loiret department, south of Paris, is on red alert, with seven others one level lower.

Nearly 10,000 homes are without electricity.

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Media captionThe flooding caused great damage in both France and Germany

Prime Minister Manuel Valls visited the stricken town of Nemours on Wednesday.

Its mayor said 3,000 people had been evacuated from the town centre.

The town's Loing river, a tributary of the Seine, now has levels not seen since the devastating floods of 1910.

"The centre of town is totally under water. All the businesses have been destroyed," said mayor Valerie Lacroute.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionChambord castle in central France, reflected in a new lake

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionThe Seine has reached the feet of the Zouave statue at the Pont de l'Alma in Paris. In 1910 it touched the shoulders

Gwen Bonpaix, 18, who lives in Montcourt Fromonville, 5km (3.1 miles) from Nemours, told the BBC part of the village was flooded.

"The electricity doesn't work, and we can't use our toilet because the sewers are also getting flooded," she said.

"My home hasn't been flooded yet, but the water has already reached the garden, and it's still raining. We're going to leave before we get stuck here."

Six weeks' worth of rain has fallen in three days in the Loiret department.

Other news from France:

• Fire services found the body of an 86-year-old woman in her home in Souppes-sur-Loing
• The level of the Seine in Paris reached 4.45m (15ft) on Wednesday evening and could rise to 5.7m over the coming days, requiring "heightened vigilance", the mayor said, although it remains well below the 8.62m of the historic 1910 floods
• The French Open tennis tournament could be extended into a third week
• Floods also cut off the getaway of two shop robbers in the town of Fleury-les-Aubrais. They fled their car and tried to make a swim for it, but were arrested

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No relief in sight - Jacob Cope, forecaster, BBC Weather Centre

A large area of low pressure has been bringing heavy showers to much of Europe recently and this weather pattern shows no signs of shifting in the next few days.

A large swathe of the continent from central France through Belgium, Germany through southern Poland to Romania, Moldova and Ukraine looks set for further heavy, thundery showers to end the week and through the weekend.

These showers are likely to be slow moving and have the potential to be long-lasting with large hailstones, frequent lightning, gusty winds and flash flooding with as much as 50mm (2 in) of rain in some parts in just a few hours.

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German deaths

The deadliest incident was in Simbach am Inn in Bavaria, southern Germany, where a woman, 78, her daughter, 56, and granddaughter, 28, were all found drowned in the basement of their house.

Another woman, aged 80, was found dead in the nearby village of Julbach.

A 75-year-old man was the latest to be found dead, in Simbach. Several people are missing.

Bavaria Governor Horst Seehofer promised speedy help, saying his state "won't abandon those affected, some of whom have lost their whole homes".

Earlier in the week, a firefighter died in the town Schwaebisch Gmuend while trying to rescue a flood victim, who also died.

In Weissbach, a man died when an underground garage was flooded, while a girl who took shelter from the rain under a bridge was killed by a train.

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionFlood devastation in Simbach, Bavaria

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionEmergency services at work in Triftern, Bavaria

Other news from Germany:

• An emergency was declared in the historic town of Passau
• In Pfarrkirchen, more than 35 litres of water per square metre fell in the space of six hours on Wednesday
• In the district of Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia, a dam is threatening to break

Belgium has also seen heavy rainfall and has reported flooding in many areas, including around Antwerp, Limburg and Liege.

source; http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36432429