Swollen Elbe powers northward through Germany; breached dike forces closure of main rail route

BERLIN – German authorities ordered several villages to be evacuated and have shut one of the country’s main railway routes after the swollen Elbe river breached a levee in eastern Germany.

The capital of eastern Saxony-Anhalt state, Magdeburg, grappled over the weekend with water levels more than 5 metres (16 feet) above normal. Further downstream, authorities said Monday that a dike at Fischbeck, west of Berlin, was breached during the night. Officials moved to evacuate 10 villages in the area.

Germany’s national railway said authorities ordered it to close a bridge near Fischbeck used by trains linking Berlin to Cologne, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. It said some trains were being diverted via other bridges to the north and south, causing significant delays, and others were cancelled.