(AFP, Ronny Hartmann)
By Yannick Pasquet (AFP) – 3 hours ago
...The river Danube (click here) reached a new record high in Budapest but the Hungarian capital's mayor sought to ease concerns, saying water levels were stabilising, although about 1,200 people were evacuated along the river.
Budapest has averted the worst of the floods that caused devastation elsewhere in central Europe, as flood defences held firm, with the Danube starting to recede early Monday.
"We have no reports of any catastrophic situation, the situation is normalising," Budapest Mayor Istvan Tarlos told a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban early Monday.
The deluge has also sparked massive emergency responses in Austria and Slovakia.
A torrent of flood waters in Germany has turned vast areas into a brown water world, sparked a mass mobilisation of emergency workers and caused billions of euros in damage in what one lawmaker termed a "national catastrophe"....Map of the River Danube.
