Austrian flooding

Officials told citizens to keep children and animals inside as temperatures dropped to 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) and the snow line came down to 1,500 meters (4,900 feet).

Heavy rains in recent days had saturated the ground and streams burst their banks flooding streets and cellars in the southern city of 250,000.

Wolfgang Uebel, an official in the disaster prevention department said that the emergency declaration was a formality which would allow officials to evacuate residents if necessary.

The rain had stopped by Saturday but Uebel said the alert would remain in place until Sunday.

av/dpa/AFP
Editor: Trinity Hartman