Floods threaten historic Polish city

Roads in Southern Poland are turning into rivers

By Central Europe correspondent Ray Furlong

Flooding in Southern Poland which has killed 10 people in rural areas this week is now threatening the historic city of Krakow.

Water levels in the Vistula river, which runs around the old centre of Krakow, has risen by two and a half metres over 24 hours.

The river, swollen by days of torrential rain, is now less than a metre below the top of the city's flood defences, which local residents have been trying to bolster with sandbags.

Over 10,000 people have been made homeless by the floods

Other parts of Poland have also been hit by fierce thunderstorms, claiming a dozen more lives.

The old heart of the city is not currently in danger, but outlying streets have been flooded and one bridge has been closed.

Swamped fields

Thousands of hectares of fields have been swamped, ruining crops awaiting harvest, and infrastructure has been badly damaged.

The Polish Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek visited Krakow to explain a $70m aid package agreed by his government.

Local residents are adding sandbags to Krakow's flood defences

Over 10,000 people have been made homeless by the floods and Mr Buzek stressed they would soon receive help.

So far the flooding has been caused by small rivers bursting their banks, but the Vistula is Poland's biggest river and could overflow at a number of locations.

People are hoping that forecasts for the rain to stop on Friday turn out to be true.