The Danube river rose to its highest levels in decades this afternoon, driving people from their homes in northern Serbia and Romania and swamping Bulgaria's main river ports.
In Serbia, the Danube and Sava rivers are still rising near the capital Belgrade, while the towns of Titel, Zabalj and Zrenjanin were threatened by the Tisa river, swollen from rain and melting snow from central Europe.
Crews resorted to bringing sandbags by boat in pouring rain to reinforce barriers on the Tisa as inundated wooded areas on the river's bank blocked access. Authorities also erected new barriers and evacuated people from their homes.
"We are really entering a dramatic phase in the next few days," Branislav Radovanovic of the Vojvodina water management board told live television.
In Belgrade, the Sava and Danube were 20 centimeters from record highs hit in 1981, but authorities said berms built from earth and sandbags should hold back the water when it is expected to peak on tomorrow and Friday.
