Austria flood waters ease but risk of dam failures, landslides remain

Flood waters have begun to recede slightly in Austria, but local authorities say that the situation in some parts of the country remain tense.

The governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, said on Tuesday that there is a continuing threat of dam breaches and landslides, and many people are still without electricity.

She said it was important to remain cautious and vigilant. On Monday alone, dams broke in 21 places in the eastern state, with the clean-up work likely to take weeks and in some cases months.

There is "a great deal of human suffering, a great deal of financial suffering," said Mikl-Leitner.

The full extent of the damage is still not known. In Lower Austria, 271 roads are still closed due to flooding, and 26 communities are cut off by land. Residents of some villages were brought to safety on Monday night.

The authorities say around 33,000 emergency service workers were on duty during the four days of continuous rainfall. On Monday alone, 626,000 calls were made via the authorities' radio network, said Deputy Prime Minister Stephan Pernkopf, describing the communication requirements.

Four people are known to have died in the floods in Austria so far. However, the cause of death of the fourth victim, whose body was found floating in the water on Monday evening, has yet to be established. The amount of rain that fell in eastern Austria in just a few days was four to six times the usual amount for the entire month of September.