15 dead in European flooding, thousands evacuated

At least 15 people have died and four others are missing in the floods that have ravaged central Europe, authorities said today as swollen rivers surged downstream toward Germany.
Firefighters said more than 19,000 people were evacuated from the flooding in the Czech Republic. One raging flood that inundated parts of Prague was now heading north toward Germany, particularly the city of Dresden.
The dead included eight people in the Czech Republic, four in Germany, two in Austria and one in Slovakia. At least four other people were missing in the Czech Republic, according to its interior minister.
Authorities are now concerned about the safety of chemical plants next to the overflowing rivers. Some plants have been shut down and their chemicals removed.

More than 3,000 people had to leave their homes in the Czech city of Usti nad Labem on the Elbe River near the German border, where floodwaters were still on the rise today.
High water had already submerged parts of the city as well many other towns along the Elbe, the biggest river in the country.

"It's not over yet," Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas said. "There're tough moments still ahead of us."
He pledged more than 5 billion koruna (USD 250 million) for clean-up work.
Czech public television said a barrier that protects one major chemical plant in Lovosice was leaking today. Necas was scheduled to visit the plant later in the day.

Downstream, hundreds of people were being evacuated in the German city of Dresden, where the Elbe was expected to crest Wednesday evening. Early in the day it was running about 7 meters over normal levels in the eastern city.