Floods spark state of emergency in Hungary

Hungary's government has declared a state of emergency as heavy flooding continues to devastate much of the eastern part of the country.

The upper part of the River Tisa has broken through several dykes after reaching record heights, forcing more than 20,000 people to leave their homes.

Parts of neighbouring Romania and Ukraine are also affected.

In the village of Tivadar, only the parish church remained above the water level because it is on a hill.

More than 2,000 soldiers have been deployed to help with the evacuation of villages in the area and people are being given temporary accommodation.

Hungarian army helicopters have also been crossing the border to aid the evacuation of villages in western Ukraine, where one person has died.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary had spent millions of dollars improving its water defences but the annual problem of flooding could be solved only if Ukraine and Romania took measures to prevent water levels from rising.

Torrential rain around the Tisa in Romania and Ukraine is believed to have caused the flooding, which is expected to last several days.