French President Francois Hollande has declared “natural disaster” in Paris amid torrential downpours which have caused River Seine in the capital to reach its highest level in three decades. Days of torrential rains raised the level of the River Seine in Paris to five meters above normal levels on Thursday, flooding the lower embankments and forcing the nearby Louvre Museum to close down.

Several roads in the capital were also severely hit by the flooding. Since records began in 1873, it is the first time that Paris experiences so much rain in the month of May. Thousands of people were evacuated in central and northeastern France due to deadly flooding in the country, which has forced the closure of Louvre, the world’s most visited museum. People were warned to stay away from banks of Seine, which is expected to reach a peak of six meters later on Friday.

Culled from Presstv