Paris museums shut to move art works as swollen Seine reaches peak

PARIS — Paris’ world-famous Louvre and Musee d’Orsay museums shut on Friday (June 3) to rush valuable artworks out of their basements, as the rain-swollen River Seine reached its highest level in three decades.

(Boxes containing valuable artworks from the Louvre reserves stored among status in one of the museum's room of the Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities room after they were evacuated from the basement following days of heavy rains which led the River Seine to reach its highest level in three decades. Photos: AFP)

At least 14 people have been killed in floods that have wrought havoc in Europe after days of torrential rain, trapping people in their homes and forcing rescuers to row lifeboats down streets turned into rivers.

Parisians were urged to stay away from the Seine, which has spilled its banks in places and was expected to reach a peak of six metres on Friday.

A man on horseback died on Thursday after he was swept away by a swollen river in Evry-Gregy-sur-Yerre, southeast of Paris.

Ten people have been killed in Germany and two in Romania, while a bee-keeper died in Belgium while trying to protect his hives from the floods, local authorities in the Nassogne region said.

French Environment Minister Segolene Royal said she feared more bodies would be found as waters recede in villages in central France, some of which have suffered their worst floods in a century.

MUSEUMS PREPARE FOR THE WORST

In Paris, officials have erected emergency flood barriers along the Seine, whose banks are home to both the Louvre — the world’s most visited museum, with attractions including the Mona Lisa — and the Musee d’Orsay.

Mr Bruno Julliard, Paris’ deputy mayor, told France Inter radio that the works in the museums, which overlook the Seine, were not at risk as of early Friday. Some low lying roads running along the river are underwater and one underground commuter line has been closed.

“For the museums, even if fortunately there isn’t any flooding of storerooms as of today, there is an automatic process above 5.50 metres to move works in the deepest storerooms higher,” Mr Julliard said.

Officials forecast the Seine could peak at 6 metres in central Paris on Friday, stressing this is still well below the level where it would threaten residents and businesses.

The river reached a record high of 8.6 metres in 1910, when thousands of Parisians had to flee flooded low-lying areas of the city.

Boat traffic has been banned in the capital, and a regional train line that runs along the Seine has been suspended.

More than 20,000 people have been evacuated in France since the weekend and around 19,000 homes are without power.

Rescuers in the Parisian suburb of Longjumeau paddled up streets in lifeboats on Thursday, while in the town of Montargis, only the tops of cars could be seen peeking above the surface.

French President Francois Hollande said a state of “natural catastrophe” would be declared when the cabinet meets next Wednesday, a necessary step to trigger compensation payments.

GERMAN DEVASTATION

Several towns in southern Germany have been devastated by flooding.

In Simbach am Inn, the force of the water swept away the entire stock of a sawmill, leaving huge stacks of splintered wood blocking roads.

On one street, a car could be seen parked vertically against the wall of a house, pushed there by the floodwaters. Many other vehicles lay flipped over on roads blanketed by mud.

Six people have been killed in the Simbach area, including three women from the same family — a mother, grandmother and daughter — who had been trapped in their house.

“The (rise in) water was so quick that practically no residents had the time to run away,” police spokesman Armin Angloher said.

Four people were killed earlier this week in the southern German region of Baden-Wuerttemberg, while three others are missing, a police spokesman in Bavaria state said.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her thoughts were with the families “who have been plunged into this devastation”. AFP