Danube River in Budapest almost at peak level

ANKARA – The Danube River in Budapest has almost reached its peak and reached the Hungarian parliament building on Friday, according to media reports.

The water level is expected to rise another 50 centimeters (1.64 feet) by Saturday evening, according to the General Directorate of Water Management, Hungarian media reported.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a news conference on Friday that the population seemed calmer than in the 2013 floods and called for them to avoid mobility over the weekend, the national news agency MTI reported.

He added that the preparations made to counter the water will stay in place until next Thursday.

The Danube level reached 780 cm (25.5 ft) high on Thursday evening, and is expected to reach 850 cm (27.8 ft) on Saturday.

Photos on social media and Hungarian media show that bridges and the banks of Danube, where the parliament building is also located in central Budapest, were flooded.

Severe floods claimed lives earlier this week as parts of Eastern and Central Europe are grappling with Storm Boris.

Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes across a swathe of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, while the toll has reportedly risen to at least 20 – seven in Romania, five each in Poland and Austria, and three in the Czech Republic.

After hitting Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania, flooding was expected to affect Slovakia and Hungary next as a result of a low-pressure system from northern Italy that has been dumping record rainfall in the region. (PNA)