The crest of the flooded Danube River is expected to reach Budapest late today but defences should keep the water out of most of the capital, according to Hungarian officials.

At least 20 people have been killed by a week of flooding in central Europe, as rivers such as the Danube, the Elbe and the Vlatava overflowed after heavy rains and caused great damage in central and southern Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that no deaths, injuries or missing persons have been reported in his country, but that there are still several critical areas along the Danube where 7,000 soldiers and thousands of volunteers are packing sandbags to shore up flood walls.

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