At least six people have drowned in flooding that has hit the eastern Czech Republic after heavy rains, officials said Thursday, according to AP. Lukas Humpl, spokesman for the regional rescue service, said three people died in the town of Jesenik nad Odrou on Thursday morning. Rescue workers are still searching the town as waters gradually recede, Humpl said. He said three other people died in nearby towns. In addition, two people died of heart problems while rescuers were struggling to reach them. Hundreds of people have been evacuated throughout the region and a number of roads and railway lines have been closed as rivers flooded their banks. The country's security council will meet later Thursday to assess the situation at the request of Prime Minister Jan Fischer. Fischer expressed his sympathy to the people in the affected area. The situation remained tense in neighboring Austria Thursday, where driving rain over the past few days caused major flooding in northern, central and eastern parts of the country. While the water levels of a number of rivers dropped overnight as the downpours diminished, authorities warned that thunderstorms and sporadic showers could cause more problems. Thousands of firefighters and other rescue crews continued to drain buildings and soaked streets throughout the affected regions. In some places, such as the Medieval town of Steyr in Upper Austria province, cleanup efforts were under way after the water began receding. In the capital Vienna, the famous Albertina museum began evacuating its storage facility _ filled with 950,000 pieces of priceless art _ as a precaution after traces of humidity were detected.
