Photos: France heaviest rains in 50 years flood out Paris

Rivers swollen by France's heaviest rains in 50 years have breached their peaks in Paris, flooding the streets and raising concerns in towns and cities futher downstream. ...read more

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Updated on Jan 31, 2018 11:14 AM IST

Peniche houseboats seen moored by the Eiffel Tower, along the flooded River Seine after days of non-stop rain in France. Floodwaters peaked in Paris on Monday and were threatening towns downstream as the rain-engorged Seine River winds through Normandy toward the English Channel. France’s heaviest rains in 50 years have engulfed romantic quays in Paris, swallowed up gardens and roads and halted riverboat cruises. (Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS)

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Residents on a small boat evacuate their house in a flooded street of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, near Paris. The Meteo France weather service said January has seen nearly double the normal rainfall nationwide, and the rains in the past two months are the highest measured for the period in 50 years. (Christian Hartmann / REUTERS)

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The River Seine peaked on January 29 at more than four meters above its normal level, heralding a lengthy mop-up job for Parisians after days of rising waters that have put the soggy city on alert. (Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS)

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A dog at the entrance of a house in the flooded residential area of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. Flood monitoring agency Vigicrues said the water levels in Paris hit a maximum height of 5.84 meters on the Austerlitz scale early Monday. That’s below initial fears last week, and well below record levels of 8.62 meters in 1910, but still meters above normal levels of about 1.5 meters. (Christian Hartmann / REUTERS)

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Garbage floats in a flooded street of Villeneuve-le-Roi. Till now the floods have caused damage to 242 towns along the river and tributaries with more warnings in place as high waters move downstream. (Alain Jocard / AFP)

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Inhabitants have been making do with makeshift footbridges like this one, to reach their homes and other neighbouring surroundings. (Alain Jocard / AFP)

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French Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, Nicolas Hulot (2R) and mayor of Champagne-sur-Seine, Michel Gonord (R) take part in a meeting at the fire station of Champagne-sur-Seine, Paris during an assessment visit on the Seine’s rise. (Eric Feferberg / AFP)

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A ticket booth for sightseeing boats is partly submerged by the River Seine. The water levels are expected to stay high for days or weeks spelling bad news for tourists hoping to cruise past Parisian sites on the famed “bateaux mouches” riverboats, or visit the bottom floor of the Louvre Museum, closed since last week as a precaution. (Mal Langsdon / REUTERS)

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Police has warned people against bathing or canoeing in the swollen river, saying it was “forbidden and extremely dangerous”. Even once the water levels start to recede officials say it will be a slow process, as much of the ground in northern France is already waterlogged. (Gonzalo Fuentes / REUTERS)

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A man fishes on the flooded banks of the River Seine. Around 1,500 people have been evacuated from their homes in the greater Paris region while 1,900 households have lost electricity. Overall, Paris is better prepared than when it was last hit by floods in 2016, and Parisians have largely taken disruptions in stride. (Pascal Rossignol / REUTERS)