Floods kill 26 in eastern Europe

Floods in Ukraine and Romania have killed 26 people after five days of uninterrupted rain.

In western Ukraine flooding has destroyed homes, farmland and roads and prompted the evacuation of 20,000 residents, officials said.

A senior government official at the weekend described the flooding as the worst in a century.

Water levels remain dangerously high on the Prut and Dnestr rivers, where more than 40,000 homes were flooded.

At least six of the dead were children and two had been struck by lightning.

In neighbouring Romania, the interior ministry said four people died in floods in the northeastern county of Maramures and two are still missing.

Authorities said some of the region's 12,000 evacuated residents are returning to their homes as floodwaters receded.

However, officials said waters coming down from Ukraine could still cause considerable damage.

More than 4,000 police and troops are reinforcing dams with sandbags and food was being distributed to residents.

Meanwhile, heavy rain and flooding has also hit central and western Japan, killing at least three people and leading authorities to issue temporary evacuation orders to thousands in the area.

There have also been reports that 11 people, including some children playing beside the Toga River about 350 miles southwest of Tokyo, have been swept away.

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