Lethal Eastern Europe floods in Berlin threat fear

Poles, Czechs and Germans are struggling to clean up homes and towns badly damaged as the waters of deadly weekend flooding recede.

But the swollen rivers are pushing northward, and other towns and villages are braced for high waters.

The floods have killed at least 11 people. One of the worst-hit places was the southwestern Polish town of Bogatynia, on the border with the Czech Republic.

Local TV stations aired images on Monday showing the town strewn with rubble. Roads are torn up, and many homes have suffered massive damage.

In Germany, the situation is most critical in the state of Saxony, along the Neisse River, which forms the border with Poland. Hundreds of residents have had to be evacuated.

Some 1,400 people in the region were evacuated over the weekend, and more than 500 have not yet been able to return to their houses.

As the floods travelled further north, officials worried about waters reaching the Spree River, which runs through Berlin. However, there are as yet no flood warnings for the German capital.