THOUSANDS of residents have been evacuated from two Danube villages in western Romania and thousands more are under threat as the river hit near-record levels in Romania and Bulgaria.

Thousands of residents have been evacuated from two Danube villages in western Romania and thousands more are under threat as the river hit near-record levels in Romania and Bulgaria today.

Thousands of residents have been evacuated from two flood-hit villages in western Romania as the waters of the River Danube hit near record levels today.

THE Danube river broke through flood defences in southeastern Europe yesterday, driving thousands of people from their homes along its banks in Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria, officials said.

Floods threatened cities and fertile lands across Serbia, and record water levels in one of Europe’s longest rivers surged downstream toward neighbouring Romania and Bulgaria on today.