The cabinet held a special emergency session late on Thursday to discuss measures for coping with the huge quantity of water flowing down the Danube River from neighbouring countries toward Hungary, the local media reported.

A special ministerial committee was set up to co-ordinate flood defence along the river, while Environment and Water Minister Maria Korodi inspected flood defences and said flood-protection costs are expected to run up to several billion forints.

Dykes are being reinforced with sandbags and some sections of riverside roads in Budapest have already been closed. But Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky said the population need not fear a catastrophe like that in Prague and that he does not expect any parts of the city to be evacuated.

(NewsBase 19.viii.02)