Water levels fall throughout country

The Czech Republic is recording a gradual fall of water levels throughout the country after this week's catastrophic floods. In Prague, on Sunday morning, levels on the Vltava river were down by five metres from Wednesday's high. Experts, however, expect a month to pass before levels get back to normal. Rescue teams in the flood-hit areas have been replaced by thousands of clean-up workers and heavy machinery to remove tonnes of mud and debris. The country's hygiene officers have also warned of a possible outbreak of epidemics and urged those taking part in rescue work to respect health precautions and get vaccinated against diseases.

In the past week 220,000 people were evacuated from their homes. According to figures released by the interior ministry, 18,300 people took part in rescue work, out of which 3,500 were professional fire fighters, 7,800 volunteer fire fighters, and 7,000 police. Some 2,500 soldiers patrolled the evacuated areas for fear of looting. Fourteen people are believed to have lost their lives.