A man sits in a dinghy as he makes his way towards a houseboat along the banks of the Seine River. (Reuters Photo)
Highlights
- Water level in river Seine is expected to go up to 6.5 metres
- Government said some residents near Seine could be evacuated if necessary
- 14 people have died in floods and heavy rain in France and Germany
Flooding in central Paris has swelled the Seine river by 6.0 metres(20 feet) with a peak of up to 6.50 metres expected later, the French environment ministry said Friday.
"The high-water level in Paris is expected tonight at around 6.30 metres (above its normal level), perhaps 6.50 metres in a worst-case scenario," the ministry said in a statement.
"It should be noted that this is more of a plateau than a peak, since this level will remain relatively stable for the whole weekend before receding."
The peak is expected to beat the levels reached during floods in 1982, when the river rose 6.15 metres above its normal level.The record remains the 8.68 metres reached during devastating floods in 1910.
The ministry also said it was possible that some residents in areas near the Seine in western Paris could be evacuated if necessary.
At least 14 people have been killed across northern Europe in this week's floods, trapping people in their homes and forcing rescuers to row lifeboats down streets turned into rivers.
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