Residents use a canoe to evacuate in downtown Nemours, 50 miles south of Paris on Thursday. (AP)
PARIS — Rivers in Europe have burst their banks from Paris to the southern German state of Bavaria, killing six people, trapping thousands more in homes or cars and forcing everything from subway lines to castles to the Louvre to shut down.
French authorities were especially concerned about the rising waters of the Seine River, which winds through Paris and was expected to peak Friday.
Paris police upgraded their flood warning to “orange” — the second-highest level — for areas in the French capital near the Seine, which has already overflowed its banks in many places. The warning means floods could have “a significant impact” on buildings and people.
The Louvre Museum in Paris says it will be closed Friday to remove artworks from rooms threatened by rising waters from the Seine and preventatively shift them upstairs. Its most famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” is staying put on an upper floor, however.
Tourist boat cruises in Paris have been cancelled and roads in and around the capital are under water.