At Least 34 Dead in Europe Flooding

Romanian officials said Wednesday that seven people had drowned overnight when flood waters surged into their homes, and more than 250 residents of a submerged section of the Swiss capital, Bern, were evacuated by helicopter.

Some flood victims waded into their homes to shovel mud while crews cleared debris from streets.

Heavy rains across central and southern Europe have killed 34 people this week, authorities said, adding that the number could climb because some people were missing. Worst hit was Romania, with 25 dead and thousands of homes inundated. Austria, Bulgaria and Switzerland reported nine dead.

In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder promised assistance for those affected by flooding in Bavaria state, and authorities prepared for rising river levels downstream. Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel promised financial support for victims in his country.

Military helicopters airlifted tourists out of some of the hardest-hit areas in Austria, where streets have crumbled beside swollen rivers. Parts of the western Austrian province of Vorarlberg remained cut off, though skies were sunny Wednesday.

Hundreds in Austria’s Alpine valleys found themselves deluged with mud. Train conductor Ernst Cavegn, 44, took a hammer and broke apart a waterlogged sofa before tossing it from a second-story window of his home, where water levels had risen as much as 15 feet.

“I grew up in this house. My parents built it when I was 3 years old, and now everything is destroyed,” he said. “My wife is in shock. She won’t say a word.”

The mayor of Reuthe, a community of 630, said the leaders of dozens of other nearby villages had volunteered to help. Among his biggest problems were people coming to view the damage, particularly a part of the village transformed into a lake.

In southern Germany, rail lines were swamped and a highway was closed. Although flood waters receded slightly Wednesday, authorities were watching rising water levels farther downstream on the Danube, Isar and Inn rivers.

In central Switzerland, a number of towns were half-submerged. Engelberg remained isolated after its only road out was washed away by a landslide Tuesday.