River Seine starts dropping in Paris

The levels of the River Seine in Paris started dropping slightly on Saturday after reaching a 34-year high on Friday.

The river's level rose to 6.1m (20ft) above its normal height overnight due to heavy rains, BBC reported.

Despite the water level falling on Saturday morning, Paris remains under the second-highest alert, which warns of a "significant impact".

Forecasters had warned the river could reach as high as 6.5 metres above its normal level.

The French Environment Ministry said the floods now appeared to have peaked and would remain stable over the weekend before retreating further.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said four people had died and 42 were injured across the country.

Some 17,000 homes in and around Paris remain without electricity.

--IANS

ksk/vm