SWISS authorities began evacuating parts of the small town of Brienz yesterday, as the death toll from flooding in Europe rose to 43.

Brienz at the foot of the picturesque Bernese Alps in Switzerland – normally packed with tourists and hikers at this time of year – is instead coated with mud and debris today after days of devastating flooding.

Swiss authorities started to evacuate parts of the small Alpine town of Brienz today, as the death toll from flooding in Europe rose to 43.

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.