Prague under water as floods claim ELEVEN lives across Europe and threaten German city of Dresden

Disaster warnings issued across central Europe after heavy flooding following days of steady rain



State of emergency declared in six regions of the Czech Republic where almost 3,000 people have been evacuated



Water levels are among the worst seen in Europe since the deadly floods of 2002



Animals at Prague Zoo moved to higher ground after attraction is partially submerged by overflowing river




Terrifying floods which have left 11 people dead and resulted in thousands feeling their homes have left swathes of Prague under water today - with the deluge now moving towards Germany.

Areas to the south and north of the Czech capital were submerged, including the city's zoo and horse racing track, in the worst flooding in a decade which followed days of heavy rain. But metal barriers erected along the Vltava river banks protected the historical city centre.

Forecasters said receding rains would help water levels to drop across the Czech Republic, but that parts of Germany, Slovakia and Hungary, would be hit in the coming days.

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Terrifying: Floods which have left 11 people dead and resulted in thousands feeling their homes have left swathes of Prague under water today. This image shows Prague Zoo flooded by the swollen river Vltava

High waters: : A statue of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy by British sculptor Kaivalya Torphy is partially submerged by the rising waters of the Vltava River in Prague

Under water: This image shows an aerial view of a road flooded by the Labe river near Terezin, about 37 miles north of Prague

Devastation: Raging waters from three rivers have flooded large parts of the southeast German city of Passau

Submerged: A boat waits in front of the flooded old centre of Passau in southern Germany today Historic: The castle of Libechov near Melnik in the Czech Republic was under threat after its courtyard was completely flooded Rescue: Members of the Red Cross pass a flooded beer garden in Passau, looking for people who may need help

In Germany, about 10,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in low-lying areas of Saxony and thousands more from parts of Bavaria.

The 11 deaths since the weekend occurred across the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland and Germany, with the latest two reported in the south German town of Guenzburg, on the Danube.

Many rivers across the region have broken their banks and spilled across the countryside.

High water is likely to stop shipping on the Rhine in south Germany until at least Thursday morning, a state agency said.

Shipping was stopped over the weekend on southern sections of the river as rain caused a sharp rise in water level.

Wrecked: Hundreds of properties in Passau have been left flooded by the Danube after the river burst its banks

Recovery: A man works on a distribution box in a street flooded by the river Elbe in Pirna, eastern Germany Flooded: German army soldiers patrol Passau, with the flood water leaving light-posts and buildings almost entirely under water Emergency: This man rides a quad bike through the flooded streets of Koenigstein. Tens of thousands of people have had to be evacuated after waters rose in southern and eastern Germany Lost: A car is almost totally submerged by the rising floodwaters in Klosterneuburg near Vienna Suburban sailing: Men paddle around the streets of Vetrusice, 20 miles north of Prague Defences: An emergency vehicle next to a barrier holding back the Danube's surge in the villlage of Stein-Krems in Austria

The river remained closed to shipping south of Koblenz on Tuesday, the navigation authority in Baden-Wuerttemberg state said.

The European floods sent shares in reinsurers Munich Re and Hannover Re down by about 2.5 percent on Monday, with markets anticipating big claims from property owners once the waters recede.

Officials said levels of the Vltava had likely peaked early on Tuesday in Prague, but thousands of people were evacuated from towns and cities downstream.

Spolana, a chemical factory in Neratovice north of Prague, said it had moved dangerous substances to a safe location and shut down all production.

To the rescue: Angela Merkel today visited the flooded town of Pirna with Saxony's governor Stanislaw Tillich

Disaster warnings have been issued across Europe after days of heavy rain. The River Danube, pictured, in Passau, Germany, threatened to burst its banks

Passau is known as the city of three rivers and has been particularly affected by the high waters

Much of Prague Zoo was under water on Monday forcing keepers to move animals to higher ground

The zoo's tigers needed to be tranquilised before being transferred from the flood-hit area

Zoo keepers were working against the clock to move the animals to high ground and safety

Terezin, a town north of Prague with a memorial to a Nazi-era concentration camp, was evacuated late on Monday, and Usti nad Labem, the main city in northern Czech Republic, braced for possibly record-high water levels.

Carmaker Volkswagen temporarily shut its plant in Zwickau, in the eastern German state of Saxony, because the flooding stopped workers reaching the factory.

Large parts of the Prague underground system remained shut today and officials said it would not reopen for days. About 60 streets have been closed to car traffic, and some tram lines have also been shut down.

The last time central Europe saw similar floods was in 2002, when 17 people were killed in the Czech Republic, and damage estimated at 20 billion euros ($26 billion) was inflicted across the region.

A mannequin floats down the steam created by the flooded waters in the centre of Grimma

Buildings in Grimma, such as this town information centre, have been flooded by the rising waters

Firefighters and volunteers evacuate residents from the flooded city of Grimma, in Germany

Some areas of the city are only accessible by boat after heavy rains pounded southern and eastern parts of Germany Rescuers give women piggy-back lifts through the flood waters as Europe faces some of the worst floods it has witnessed in more than a decade An elderly woman is evacuated from her flooded home after rescuers transferred her to a waiting van by boat

The village of Innstadt in Lower Bavaria has been flooded, left, causing severe damage to crops and a sign in Passau, right, forbids pedestrians to enter a road flooded by the rising river Inn

Prague residents mostly kept calm, having gained experience from a decade ago.

'I think Prague is relatively well prepared. They have the flood defences put up ... There was more water in 2002,' said Milos Sedlacek, 72, university lecturer, after he got off a bus that replaced the shut underground service.

Czech police said this weekend at least five people had died in this spate of flooding. Firefighters evacuated homes in western regions and in villages outside the capital, rescuing 200 people.



Czech officials said the waters of the Vltava river could reach critical levels in Prague and that special metal walls were being erected to prevent flooding.



The Charles Bridge - normally packed with tourists at this time of year - was closed to the public as were some other popular spots near the river at the foot of Prague Castle.

Underground stations have been closed in Prague has the Vltava river reaches critical levels

Czech soldiers erect metal barriers to protect Prague's historic centre from flooding after days of heavy rain

The flooded Vltava river rushes under the medieval Charles bridge in Prague

A couple wade through the river in Prague as they try to save three kittens hidden in a plastic bag

Interim Mayor Tomas Hudecek said they were shutting down eight stations of the capital's subway network and urging people not to travel to city.



Yesterday , the mayor said all nursery, elementary and high schools in the Czech capital would be closed because of anticipated travel problems.



The dead body of a man was found in the nearby town of Trebenice, Czech public television reported.



Flooding was also reported in Austria and water levels rose in Germany and Poland after heavy rain in central Europe over the past week swelled rivers.



The subway network in central Prague was halted today due to the weather.



It is the first time it has been closed since massive floods submerged the city in 2002 and caused billions of dollars of damage in the Czech Republic.



Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas declared a state of emergency for most of the nation on Sunday and pledged 300 million crowns ($15.11million) for relief efforts.

Residents wade through the flooded streets of the historic city centre in Passau, Germany

A boy paddles on his inflatable mattress through the flooded streets of Passau

A hotel entrance sign is flooded in the centre of Passau as the water from three rivers burst their banks Debris floats on the flood waters in the town centre as resident watch from their window

Troops started putting anti-flood barriers in place in Prague and volunteers helped pile up sandbags in areas popular with tourists in the ancient centre. The landmark Charles Bridge was closed and workers evacuated parts of Prague zoo.



Levels on the Vltava river that cuts through Prague's centre continued to rise today.



Earlier, a woman was killed in the same town after a summer cottage collapsed in the raging water.



Thousands of people have had to be evacuated from their homes across the country, mainly in the north and the south.



In Prague, authorities have ordered the evacuation of the parts of the city's zoo located by the river.



Also patients from a Prague hospital have been moved to a higher ground.



In Germany, where at least four people have died or are missing, Chancellor Angela Merkel promised federal support for affected areas and said the army would be deployed if necessary.



Only lampposts and the tops of table umbrellas can be seen above the flood waters in Passau

The River Inn has risen to window height. Angela Merkel said she will deploy the Army if necessary

Austrian rescuers use boats to reach stranded residents in the town of Ach

Residents in Walschleben, Germany, try to protect their homes with sandbags The water level had risen by at least five meters in Munich.

Separately, at least three other people were reportedly missing. At least one person died and two were missing in Austria near Salzburg.

Several cities including Chemnitz in the east of Germany, and Passau and Rosenheim in the south, issued disaster warnings.

Passau, which is located at the confluence of three rivers, could see waters rise above record levels of 2002, said Mayor Juergen Dupper.

German news agency dpa reported that large stretches of the Rhine, Main and Neckar rivers have been closed to ship traffic.

Evacuations are also taking place in neighbouring Austria and Switzerland.

Rivers also were spilling over their banks in some rural areas of south-western Poland, and people have been evacuated.

Meteorologists are predicting the rainfall will ease in the coming days.



The River Danube has risen so high that it almost touches a bridge over the water

Roads in Passau are threatening to become impassable as the Danube nears record height Crowds wade through the water and take pictures as the town centre is hit by floods



