Thousands flee floods

BUDAPEST, Hungary -- Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes as unseasonably high flood waters threaten a large part of eastern Europe.

Areas of Hungary, Romania and the Ukraine are at risk from three rivers -- the Tisza, Tur and Szamos -- which have been swollen by heavy recent rain and melting snow.

The Tisza, Hungary's second largest river, rose by over six metres at the weekend as a result of rapidly melting snow and two days of rain in neighbouring Ukraine.

A state of emergency has been declared in Hungary after flood waters forced the evacuation of thousands of people.

On Tuesday, more than 7,000 people were evacuated from their flood-threatened homes in eight villages, the local news agency MTI reported.

Among them were hundreds of people evacuated from the village of Kispalad, which is adjacent to Hungary's boarders with Ukraine and Romania, after floodwaters broke through a dyke.

In Romania, about 1,600 people have been evacuated from their homes in 80 villages.

On Monday, another 7,000 fled their homes in western Ukraine to escape rising floodwaters.

Hungary's Transport Minister Janos Fonagy said 13,500 soldiers and volunteers were struggling to maintain flood defences on the rapidly rising rivers.

"The water levels are unprecedentedly high," Fonagy said. "Experts say we have to prepare for lasting floods."

In Ukraine, thousands of people in areas bordering Hungary were evacuated because of flooding.

At Ukraine's request, Hungary has opened a temporary border crossing at the village of Nagyhodos for Ukrainians fleeing the floods.

The Ukraine Emergency Ministry said its stretch of the Tisza burst its banks in several locations releasing millions of gallons of flood water into the valleys of the Carpathian Mountains.

At least 10 homes have been destroyed. "We have no gas, no drinking water and no one has come to help us," villager Marta Chedrych said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Thousands flee Ukrainian flood
March 6, 2001

Hungarian Government
Romanian Government
Parliament of Ukraine
Tisza River Basin

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