Front Page

France Floods: River Seine Rises to Its Highest Level in 30 Years

The River Seine has raised 20ft (6m) above its normal level as record floodwaters hit the French capital.

The world-famous Louvre and Orsay museums have been shut so staff can move priceless artworks to safety.

The number of dead in the floods has now risen to at least 14 – 10 in southern Germany and two each in France and Romania.

More downpours are forecast for the weekend across a band of central Europe from France to Ukraine.

Several towns in southern Germany have been devastated. Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Poland have also been affected.

Thousands of people have been forced from their homes.

Photo Getty Images

France’s President Francois Hollande said the weather was a serious climate phenomenon and a global challenge.

Francois Hollande is to declare a state of natural disaster in the worst-hit areas, which will free up emergency funds.

In Paris, emergency barriers have been put up along the Seine, a number of bridges have been closed and tourists boats have been banned from sailing on the river.

The Seine has not reached present levels in Paris since 1982, according to the environment ministry.

The river previously reached 6.18m in 1982, 7.1m in 1955 and 8.62m in 1910.

Rail operator SNCF has closed a line that runs alongside the Seine in central Paris.

More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from towns in central France since the weekend and 19,000 homes are without power, the AFP news agency reports.

The French Open tennis tournament, meanwhile, could be forced to extend into a third week.

Nancy Clayson

Nancy is a young, full of life lady who joined the team shortly after the BelleNews site started to run. She is focused on bringing up to light all the latest news from the technology industry. In her opinion the hi-tech expresses the humanity intellectual level. Nancy is an active person; she enjoys sports and delights herself in doing gardening in her spare time, as well as reading, always searching for new topics for her articles.

Recent Posts

Quincy Jones Dead at 91

Quincy Jones, the celebrated musician and producer who worked with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Ray…

7 hours ago

White House 2024: Voter Fraud Claims Flood Social Media

Misleading allegations, rumours and outright lies about voting and fraud are flooding online spaces in…

2 days ago

Spain: At Least 158 Killed In The Country’s Worst Flooding Disaster

At least 158 people have died in Spain's worst flooding disaster in generations. On October…

4 days ago

Russia Fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, Surpassing Global GDP

Google has been fined two undecillion (a two followed by 36 zeroes) roubles by a…

4 days ago

Financing Your Home Remodel: 7 Tips for Success

Embarking on a home remodel is an exciting journey, promising enhanced comfort, increased property value,…

2 weeks ago

Donald Trump Serves Up McDonald’s Fries While Kamala Harris Celebrates 60th Birthday with Church Choir

The US presidential candidates continued to campaign across key swing states on October 20. Footage…

2 weeks ago