Floodwaters are nearing their peak in Paris, with the rain-swollen Seine River engulfing major tourist areas and threatening wine cellars and museum basements, officials say.
Unusually heavy rains have swollen the Seine and other rivers in the region, forcing a halt to all boat traffic in Paris, including tourist cruises.
Some quay-side restaurants were submerged, and roads and parks were closed — along with the bottom floor of the Louvre Museum.
Landmarks in Paris on high alert as city and surrounding areas prepare for more severe flooding over the weekend. Roads and rail stations closed as Seine River reaches peak of six-metres. #TenNews pic.twitter.com/IsekJhtMax
— TEN Eyewitness News (@channeltennews) January 27, 2018
However, authorities said on Saturday that the flooding will not be as bad as forecast earlier this week.
The river is expected to peak in Paris on Sunday at six metres (about 20 feet) or less on the Austerlitz scale, well below the 8.6 metres hit in record floods in 1910.
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