The SWAMPS-Élysées! Paris is flooded by the Seine and German shipping is stalled by high water levels under bridges as rivers across Europe burst their banks after torrential downpours
- The famous embankments and avenues of the capital were submerged under the river for the fifth day in a row on Saturday as the weather service forecast ‘la inondation’ would last into Monday
- Prime Minister Jean Castex pledged support for farmlands and residents whose land has been devastated as southern France was also plagued by swollen waters in the Garonne River between Bordeaux and Toulouse
- Flooding has also blighted Germany, with rivers buckling under the strain of melting snow and constant rain
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The streets of Paris were awash with the Seine today after deluges across Europe saw rivers burst their banks.
The famous embankments and avenues of the capital were submerged under the river for a fifth day in a row on Saturday as the weather service forecast ‘la inondation’ would last into Monday.
In Germany, shipping traffic was halted on the Rhine as the high water levels meant boats could not pass beneath the bridges.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex pledged support for farmlands and residents whose land has been devastated as southern France was also plagued by swollen waters in the Garonne River between Bordeaux and Toulouse.
He visited the sodden town of Marmande in the region Friday and promised ‘the solidarity of the state for all those who suffered.’
The famous embankments and avenues of Paris were submerged under the River Seine for the fifth day in a row on Saturday as the weather service forecast ‘la inondation’ would last into Monday
A man rides a bicycle along the flooded roadway on the banks of the river Seine, Paris, France on Saturday. Rivers across France broke their banks this week amid heavy flooding and the national weather service forecast the waters would stay high through the weekend
A lamppost in Paris is submerged under the Seine this morning as France suffers a deluge of rain
A man walks alone along the banks of the river Seine on a deserted locked down day in Paris on Saturday
An artist paints the scene in Paris today as the River Seine continued to flow over the banks
He told reporters that he met with local leaders to discuss reinforcing levees and other broader structural investments ‘linked to these climate phenomena that keep repeating themselves.’
Flooding has also blighted Germany, with rivers buckling under the strain of melting snow, as well as a constant deluge of rain throughout the week.
Residents in the eastern community of Burkhardtsdorf in Saxony, not far from the Czech Republic border, built sandbag barricades outside their homes as the Zwoenitz river that runs through the town overflowed its banks.
In the west, the Rhine’s crest dropped slightly but remained at high levels in Cologne, the dpa news agency reported.
A man wades through floodwater along the swollen banks of the Seine river, submerged in floodwater in Paris on Friday
A man wades through floodwater with a dinghy boat to transport goods to a river barge moored long the swollen banks of the Seine river on Friday
swan swims along the swollen banks of the Seine river, submerged in floodwater in Paris on Friday
Shipping traffic that was halted earlier in the week after it became unsafe for boats to pass beneath bridges and was allowed to resume on Thursday, though authorities warned that levels were expected to increase again before the weekend.
The Rhine rose in other areas north of Cologne, including Duesseldorf, Duisburg, Wesel and Rees.
To the south, officials also reported flooding in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Melting snow and continuous rain have caused the levels of the river Zwoenitz in Burkhardtsdorf, Germany, Thursday
Flotsam floats on the banks of the Rhine in Cologne, Germany, Thursday
The man and a child paddle in the water of the river Rhine in Duesseldorf
Behind trees, a cargo ship sails on the high water of the Rhine in Duesseldorf, Germany