Hollande declares ‘natural disaster’ in Paris amid crippling floods

French President Francois Hollande has declared “natural disaster” in Paris amid torrential downpours which have caused River Seine in the capital to reach its highest level in three decades.

Days of torrential rains raised the level of the River Seine in Paris to five meters above normal levels on Thursday, flooding the lower embankments and forcing the nearby Louvre Museum to close down.

Several roads in the capital were also severely hit by the flooding.

Since records began in 1873, it is the first time that Paris experiences so much rain in the month of May.

Thousands of people were evacuated in central and northeastern France due to deadly flooding in the country, which has forced the closure of Louvre, the world’s most visited museum.

People were warned to stay away from banks of Seine, which is expected to reach a peak of six meters later on Friday.

According to local authorities, a man on horseback lost his life after he was swept away in a swollen river in the Evry-Gregy-sur-Yerre commune southeast of Paris.

Emergency barriers have been put along the river that runs through the French capital. Officials asked people to stay away from the river’s banks.

The Louvre said the museum will be closed on Friday, adding, “The aim is to move works situated in areas vulnerable to flooding to safety by moving them to higher floors.”

Meanwhile, Paris’ Orsay Museum, also located on the banks of Seine, closed its doors on Thursday. Rail operator SNCF also announced the closure of a train line that runs alongside the river in central Paris.

Some 25,000 people in Paris and central France are left without power. About 3,000 people have been evacuated from Nemours town.

Officials have raised fears that more bodies would be found as waters recede in French villages.

The heavy rains also disrupted the French Open and led the officials to delay a number of tennis matches.

French President Francois Hollande has declared a “natural disaster” in the European country, which is already experiencing a gloomy mood amid the nationwide anti-austerity demonstrations and paralyzing strikes in protest at controversial labor reforms.

Northern Europe continues to be battered by torrential rain, which has also brought extensive flooding to Belgium and Germany, besides France.

Devastation in Germany

The rainfall has killed 11 people across Europe, with most of the victims in Germany.

The worst incident took place in Bavaria in southern Germany, where six people, including three from the same family -- a 78-year-old woman along with her 56-year-old daughter and 28-year-old granddaughter – were killed in the natural disaster.

A 65-year-old man was also found dead in the flood-hit town of Simbach am Inn in Bavaria State, bringing the total death toll in the country this week to 10.

Three others are also missing, a police spokesman in Bavaria state said.

“We are mourning those for whom help has come too late and who lost their lives in the floods,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

Merkel said her thoughts were with the families “who have been plunged into this devastation.”

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