Cleaning up after the floods in Europe

A 72-year-old man who was rescued from a raging stream in Bavaria later died of a heart attack at a hospital on Friday. But an elderly couple, aged 81 and 77, who were reported missing on Thursday, were found unharmed.

Several people attending an outdoor music festival in Mendig, about 375 miles (600 km) southwest of Berlin, were injured during a thunderstorm Friday night, but it's unclear if they were struck by lightning. The number of injured is also unclear.

Although much of Germany was soaked this past week, the southern states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were hit the hardest. In addition to those killed, there was widespread flooding. Damage is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of euros and will take months to repair.

The clean-up begins

Firefighters used powerful hoses to wash away the mud, while residents used spades and excavators to clean-up debris. Divers went into flooded basements searching for survivors or victims.

"The most important thing today is to ensure the area-wide supply of drinking water and to restore the road network," said a spokeswoman for the district of Rottal-Inn, near the Austrian border.

But even as the clean-up begins, heavy thunderstorms and hail remain a threat for southern and western parts of the country.

In Paris, the river Seine rose 20 feet (6 meters) above its normal height. The swollen river prompted the Louvre and Orsay museums to shutter their doors and move priceless art works to higher ground.

bik/jm (dpa, AFP)