Dykes hold back flood waters as Elbe peaks

THE swollen Elbe River peaked early yesterday in the eastern German city of Magdeburg, which was spared a major evacuation effort as dykes held back the floods that have left a trail of devastation upstream.

Authorities considered moving 20,000 people out of vulnerable areas of the city, but decided against the move, confident that the sandbags and dikes would hold back the water.

The river peaked in the early hours at 22ft - nearly 1ft lower than expected - and fell slowly later yesterday.