Flash floods strike central Europe, killing at least 15

Flash floods brought on by rains in central Europe and the Baltic have killed at least 15, officials say. Rivers overflowed their banks, sending torrents of water through Bogatynia in south-west Poland and Goerlitz in eastern Germany.

The Neisse river, on the border with Poland, reached its highest recorded level in Goerlitz. Three Poles, three Germans and five Czechs were killed, while further north in Lithuania four people were killed. Three other Czechs were reported missing after the downpours on Saturday triggered the floods.

The army, police and fire services were using helicopters and boats to move people away from the flood zones and clear flood debris.

One woman drowned in Bogatynia while a 55-year-old firefighter was swept away when a dyke burst its banks. Another woman drowned in the nearby town of Zgorzelec, across the Niesse from Goerlitz.

The Neisse reached its highest recorded level of 7.07 metres (23 feet).

"The flood wave hit the town in a few hours. We couldn't do anything to get ready for that," the mayor of Goerlitz, Michael Wieler, was quoted by BBC News as saying.

Police said 1,500 people evacuated their homes in Goerlitz as torrents of water rushed through the streets.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has promised emergency aid payouts to help people affected by the floods.