Shipping resumes on Rhine after floodwaters recede

Berlin - Shipping resumed along the Rhine river on Sunday after being halted for nearly four days because of high water levels triggered by heavy rain. 'The high water is draining off without causing any damage. We can now give the all-clear,' a spokesman for the High Water Registration Office in Mainz said. The last section of the river was cleared for shipping at 10.30 am (0830 GMT) near the city of Speyer in Rhineland-Palatinate state after water levels dropped below the critical mark of 7.30 metres. The spokesman said water levels were receding along most parts of the river, one of Europe's most important internal waterways. Only in central regions was there a threat of minor flooding to camping grounds near riverbanks, he said. The upper reaches of the Rhine were closed to shipping on Thursday after the river threatened to burst its banks along the border with Switzerland. The flood situation eased in Switzerland over the weekend after torrential rains swept across the country, triggering mudslides and causing rivers to burst their banks. Damage caused by the floods in Switzerland was estimated at 180 million euros (244 million dollars). Heavy rain in northern Germany overnight Sunday flooded streets and houses in parts of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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