RESCUE workers airlifted residents from a half-submerged riverside district of the Swiss capital yesterday as large swathes of central and southern Europe remained underwater and the death toll from flooding rose to 42.

Rescue workers airlifted residents from a half-submerged riverside district of the Swiss capital today as large swathes of central and southern Europe remained underwater and the death toll from flooding rose to 42.

Flood victims waded into their homes to shovel out mud and clean-up crews cleared the debris from streets after heavy rains deluged central and southern Europe, killing 34 people.

FLOOD victims waded into their homes yesterday to shovel out mud and clean-up crews cleared the debris from streets after heavy rains deluged central and southern Europe.

Rescue workers piled sandbags to hold back surging floodwaters today and evacuated hundreds of people from alpine valleys in Austria and southern Germany as heavy rains and landslides battered central and southern Europe.