Floods hit Prague

Prague's mayor, Tomas Hudecek on Sunday (June 2) raised the prospect of having to evacuate residents of the city as the rising levels of the Vltava River threaten some districts.

"It is very possible that we will have to start the evacuation of several parts of Prague," he said in a news conference held on Sunday.

The flow of the Vltava River was expected to rise from 1500 square meters per second to 2500 meters by Sunday evening. Emergency services prepared sand bags and put up flood barriers in several low-lying districts, including the Kampa island in the very heart of the historic city centre, in anticipation of the rising flood waters.

The mayor also said that measures were in place to limit road traffic in the city and that the metro underground, which was heavily flooded during the huge floods in 2002, might be closed.