Floods damage landmarks

FLOODWATERS in Dresden’s historic centre rose to the highest level in more than a century yesterday, threatening the Baroque city’s landmark opera and art collection as east Germany became the focus of flooding that has killed at least 100 people across Europe.

In Bitterfeld, a town about 80 miles northwest of Dresden, a dam broke yesterday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of all 16,000 residents and raising fears of dangerous water pollution. Bitterfeld was a major chemical centre of the former East Germany and sits on a tributary of the Elbe, the river threatening Dresden.

The Elbe, which had receded slightly after bursting its banks this week, swelled to more than 27 feet. It was expected to rise another foot, close to the 29-foot level reached in 1845.