Czechs watch flood waters recede

Czechs snaked along police barriers and crowded on to riverfront lookout points to watch the waters of the muddy Vltava River recede after some of Europe's most deadly flooding in decades.

Thousands of people - many of whom were forced to leave their homes - flocked to the normally placid waters to see the cause of their troubles.

At least 95 people have died in the torrential downpours on the continent, including 10 in the Czech Republic.

Most of Europe's flooding casualties were in Russia, where the death toll stood at 59 yesterday - mostly Russian tourists holidaying on the Black Sea who were swept away by swiftly moving water.

Raging waters in Germany flooded parts of Dresden, including the famed Semper-Oper opera house and the Zwinger palace, home to a renowned collection of Renaissance paintings.

At least 10 people have died, while more than 20,000 people fled their homes. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder declared it a national task to help rebuild damaged areas.

Slovakia declared a state of emergency in the capital, Bratislava, where authorities expect the Danube River to reach its highest point tomorrow. Humanitarian workers piled sandbags near a spot on the river prone to flooding.

In Austria, where the death toll stood at seven, the Danube flooded a popular island in Vienna used for recreation and picnics, submerging small restaurants and stalls.

But the mighty river began receding in some stricken villages and was rising at a slower rate in others, authorities said yesterday.

Austria's national weather service, meanwhile, said the torrential rains that unleashed the catastrophic flooding were over.

The government drew up a plan for €650m in direct aid to flood victims, companies and flooded towns and villages.

In the neighbouring Czech Republic, the Vltava hit its highest level yet - 25.5 feet - by yesterday afternoon.

Forecasters predicted only scattered showers in the northeast for today, but gusts of wind threatened to drive flood waters further into downtown Prague.

The Vltava hit its highest point just hours after police evacuated residents from the capital's quaint Old Town, the historic centre of the capital.

Officials said the evening would put hours of work and thousands of sandbags to the test.

But even as the waters dropped eight inches, firefighters and volunteers fought to hold back flood waters threatening the Czech National Theatre.

Crowds also gathered around the National Theatre, a neo-Renaissance-style structure that opened on June 11, 1881 in honour of visiting Hapsburg Crown Prince Rudolf.

Its basement was flooded, and volunteers worked in mud and puddles to try to keep the waters from encroaching further.

"This is so sad," said Andrea McLagan of Victoria, Canada, who took a break from her job teaching English in Prague to watch the volunteers. "I've never experienced anything like this."

Tourists and other onlookers swarmed to the edge of the river to watch the spectacle of menacingly brown waters lapping just a few feet under the arcs of the capital's ornate bridges.

"I'll probably never see the same picture again in my life," said Fero Fenic, 51, a noted film director. "I was afraid the water would not stop rising. It was a narrow escape."

Police pushed people back, but allowed trams to cross at least one bridge.

The curious pressed their faces against the windows and held out cameras for the unique view of the surging currents.

Hundreds of thousands of Czechs have fled the rushing waves of the Vltava and dozens of other rivers, searching for higher ground amid torrential rains.

About 70,000 inhabitants of the capital's 1 million people left their homes, city officials said Wednesday.

Much of the capital remained without electricity or phone service, and at least three streets in the city centre were accessible only by boat. Officials shut off natural gas pipelines as a precaution.

At the Zoological Garden on the flooded outskirts of Prague, a gorilla and two hippos were missing and presumed drowned yesterday, a day after zookeepers moved about 300 animals to higher ground.

An Indian elephant, a hippo, an elderly bear and a lion were put down.