Elbe River Levels Surpass 2002 Records In Northern Germany - AFP

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The swollen Elbe river on Sunday rose to record levels in parts of northern Germany but authorities said the worst of recent flooding would soon be over.

In Lauenburg, in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the river had risen to 9.10 metres (around 30 feet) and was expected to rise another 10 centimetres, a local authority spokesman said. "We have the situation completely in hand," he said, adding that measures had been taken to protect historic buildings. The river, which normally lies at around five metres, has flooded cellars and threatened severe damage to 16th and 17th century houses.

Upstream at Hitzacker, most of the old town was under water after the river swelled to almost three times its normal level. It was 12 centimetres deeper early on Sunday than in 2002 when northern and eastern Germany suffered devastating floods, but authorities said they expected it would not go beyond the current level of 7.6 metres.

"We are assuming that we have reached the limit," a spokeswoman for the city said, adding that the water was expected to start receding on Monday. Authorities believed it would take around 12 days to drain away.

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