Paris floods: Seine level starts dropping after 30-year high

The Seine remained at 6m-high levels on Saturday morning

The levels of the River Seine in Paris have started dropping slightly after reaching a 34-year high on Friday. The river level rose to 6.1m (20ft) above it normal height overnight. 

Floods also forced parts of the metro system and major landmarks to close, while the Louvre and Orsay museums were shut while staff moved art to safety.

The Zouave statue shows how high the Seine has risen

Despite the water level falling on Saturday morning, Paris remains under the second-highest alert, which warns of a "significant impact". Forecasters had warned the river could reach as high as 6.5m above it normal level.
France's environment ministry said the floods now appeared to have peaked and would remain stable over the weekend before retreating further. At least 16 people have died across central Europe as heavy rainfall caused flooding from France to Ukraine.


Two people died in France. A woman in her 60s drowned in the central Loiret region, while a man in his 70s fell from a horse and drowned in a river south-east of Paris. Eleven were killed in southern Germany as several towns were devastated.

Two more fatalities were reported in Romania and one in Belgium. Austria, the Netherlands and Poland have also been affected. Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes.

While the waters in Paris appear to be dropping, the floods are still affecting transport in the capital, with four of the city's rail lines not running on Saturday morning.

Elsewhere, French media say the focus is shifting to communities further downstream on the Seine, including the northern city of Rouen. Some further rain is expected in central France. Some 17,000 homes in and around Paris remain without electricity.