High floodwaters turned hundreds of homes into death-traps late Wednesday in the Czech Republic, with police fearing the toll could rise after reports that a woman drowned in the east of the country.
"Some people are facing a direct threat. They have been trapped in their houses," said regional police spokesman Ivo Mitacek, the CTK news agency reported.
"We have saved several lives — of people trapped in cars on flooded roads. We have also rescued several people from houses," he added.
Hundreds of houses were flooded and dozens of people were evacuated in a region which was hit by devastating floods in 1997 that claimed almost 50 lives.
The woman drowned in a flooded river as heavy rains fell. "I don't know her identity. I can only confirm she has drowned," regional ambulance spokesman Lukas Humpl was quoted as saying.
He added that the ambulance car whose doctors tried to resuscitate the woman became stuck in the flood and could not move from the spot.
The floods had also prevented doctors from getting to a woman who was giving birth, he said.
The floods closed several roads and people in some towns are using boats to move around their places, the public-service Czech Television said in a newscast.
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