Photo Gallery Europe Hit By Severe Flooding
Flooding in Germany showed no signs of subsiding on Monday, with several regions struggling to contend with swollen rivers, streams and lakes. Here, a stadium in Gera, just south of Leipzig, is flooded.
Passau in Bavaria has been particularly hard hit. Located where the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz all flow together, the old town is susceptible to flooding. But rarely does the city see the kind of highwater that has struck it this week.
Helpers are doing what they can to hold back the water, but little can be done to protect the old city center. Much of it has been evacuated and electricity and water has been shut off.
The historic old town of the Bavarian city of Passau has been flooded by the rising river Inn. After days of heavy rain water levels rose further on Sunday night. Authorities said they were expecting the highest water levels since 1954 for the Inn and Danube rivers.
The A8 Autobahn exit to Grabenstätt, southeast of Munich, was almost completely under water on Monday. The autobahn closure reportedly caused major traffic problems.
Passau is particularly affected by flooding due to its proximity to three rivers -- the Danube, Inn and Ilz. Electricity was completely turned off in the downtown area.
A water rescue team passes the "Zur blauen Donau" (The Blue Danube) tavern in Passau on Sunday. Rising water levels have flooded most of the ground floor of the building. Extreme rainfall has caused severe flooding across the southern state of Bavaria.
Evactuation measures are underway in Passau. Over 300 rescue workers have been battling the flooding around the clock. Today 150 Bundeswehr soldiers are expected to arrive to help with the rescue mission.
To support the rescue teams, some 150 Bundeswehr soldiers have been sent to Passau.
Many areas in the eastern state of Saxony have also been affected by heavy flooding. Chemitz's downtown area, pictured here, was paralyzed by the deluge. In Grimma near Leipzig, some 2,500 residents had to leave their houses. The town center of Döbeln was completely flooded. Residents had to be evacuated and were brought to shelters in the area.
Residents in Braunschweig, in the northern state of Lower Saxony, are rescued from their apartment building through a window.
In the Bavarian town of Rosenheim water levels climbed so steadily that this car sank in a parking lot.
Rescue teams fight the flooding with sandbag damming in Rosenheim, Bavaria.
Waters rage in the rising Lech River in Landsberg am Lech, in southwest Bavaria.
Heavy rain caused damages in many areas of Europe over the weekend. In the Austrian town of Högmoos near Salzburg, mudflow bursts destroyed neighborhoods. After days of torrential rainfall local waterways have burst their banks bringing flooding and mudflow to residential areas.
The Czech Republic is also battling heavy flooding. Here, fire fighters build an anti-flood barrier on the Vltava River in the center of Prague.
The flooded Vltava River in central Prague on June 2.
The river promenade in the eastern German city of Dresden has been flooded. The Elbe River is expected to rise sharply on Monday, awakening memories of the 2002 floods that brought the beloved baroque city to a standstill.
Chiemsee Lake has also burst its banks, flooding this beer garden and playground.
The city center of Grimma in Saxony has likewise been flooded by water from the nearby Mulda. Here, the town's city hall lies under water.
Officials sought to evacuate residents of Grimma on Monday.
Here, the town of Kolbermoor near Rosenheim in Bavaria. The state has been particularly hard hit by flooding this spring.
A container and a car floating in the floodwaters in Rosenheim on Monday.
Passau has been the hardest hit, but flooding has spread across much of the region to include areas in Austria, the Czech Republic and Switzerland in addition to Germany.
Officials helping evacuate the elderly and infirm from the Saxon town of Grimma on Monday.
Bridges across southern Germany are in danger of being overwhelmed by the floodwaters. This one near Leipzig has so far managed to stay put.
A street sign in Passau pointing to a parking garage named for the mighty Danube River which flows through the town.
