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Supplies arrive in flood-ravaged areasMore evacuations as rivers continue to swell their banks
![]() A rescue boat motors through the flooded streets in the Swiss capital of Bern. RELATEDCNN WEATHER FORECASTSYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- Helicopters are delivering food and other supplies and lifting hundreds of people to safety in the aftermath of deadly floods in central and southern Europe. At least 34 people have died during three days of torrential rains that caused lakes and rivers to flood their banks, leaving thousands of homes destroyed in their wake. Some reports have put the death toll as high as 53, and the number is expected to rise as many people are missing. The highest number of fatalities was in Romania, where there are reports that between 13 and 31 people have died in the past two days. Fatalities were also reported in Germany, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Austria. Romania has seen the worst flood damage, where officials estimate more than 20,000 homes have been affected, many of them destroyed. There the floods have caused about $400 million in damage, along with $200 million in agriculture losses, authorities said. Some families have lost everything. Hundreds of soldiers and firefighters were helping those in Romanian towns Thursday, providing them with clean water, food and medical care, as forecasters warned of more rain. In the Swiss capital of Bern, at least 300 residents have been moved -- many by helicopter -- from the low-lying Matte district next to the river Aare. Rescue workers were expected to evacuate more people from their homes on Thursday. "We will be getting more water again," Bern police spokesman Franz Maerki told The Associated Press. "At the moment we are primarily trying to clear flooded wood and above all we will evacuate the rest of the people from the flooded Matte district." In the mountain resort of Engelberg, the Swiss army helicopters have been ferrying supplies to people cut off by the rain since Monday, Reuters reported. The heavy rain also sent part of the railway line plunging down a ravine. One of 700 tourists evacuated by air on Wednesday from the village told Swiss television they had been without hot food, clean water and electricity. Meanwhile in Lucerne, sandbags have been stacked to protect shops and homes along the river Reuss. "Right now the water level is falling, but we just do not know what is going to happen next," civil protection official Rene Bieri told Reuters. In the southern German town of Passau, authorities were cleaning up as the swollen Danube River flowed swiftly by. Floodwaters left mud in streets and some homes. Residents were breathing a sigh of relief, however, as no more rain was forecast near the German-Austrian border. Officials in Austria, where the rain is subsiding, are turning their attention to the cleanup and reconstruction. "The danger is over," Doris Ita, the head of Austria's flood emergency department, told AP. "But we are still watching the situation." Although more rain was forecast, the system that was causing it is fairly fast-moving and should head off towards Scandinavia. The flooding is in sharp contrast to extreme drought in southern Europe, which has resulted in numerous fires in Portugal. (Full story) NTV reporter Carsten Lueb in Passau, Germany, contributed to this report
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