No end in sight to floods as death toll reaches 43

A MASSIVE flood wave moving across central Europe is threatening new areas and raising concerns among residents and leaders as the death toll reached 43.

It also prompted European Union head Ursula von der Leyen to plan a visit to a threatened region yesterday.

Heavy rains caused flooding and the evacuation of 1,000 residents in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, while the death toll was rising in central Europe as receding waters were revealing the scale of the destruction caused by exceptionally heavy rains that began a week ago.

Czech Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said the death toll had risen to five in the hard-hit northeast Czech Republic, and that eight people were still missing.

That brings the death toll so far to 24 in the region.