A crack in a dyke on a swollen river in south-eastern Hungary has forced 4 500 people to evacuate their homes, Tibor Dobson, spokesperson for the national disaster prevention agency, said on Friday.
The evacuations were taking place in the towns of Csepa, Szeleveny and Tiszasas in Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok county, along the river Koros.
“This is essentially a precautionary measure,” Dobson said.
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany cut short his trip to the north-east on the final day of campaigning before run-off general elections on Sunday to fly by helicopter to Szeleveny, 155km south-east of Budapest.
The crack in the dyke earlier on Friday initially forced the evacuation of 87 people, along with more than 10 000 poultry and other animals.
The army, which has thousands of troops helping to mount flood defences across the country, has ordered reinforcements to the sparsely populated region.
The number of people displaced from flooded regions in Hungary over the past few weeks has now topped 5 000. — AFP