After excessive heavy rains in Central Europe, floodwaters in the Danube are expected to peak in Budapest on September 20-21. RFE/RL has been documenting the situation in the Hungarian capital, where the Danube has already burst its banks in places.

The Danube River in Budapest has almost reached its peak and reached the Hungarian parliament building on Friday, according to media reports. The water level is expected to rise another 50 centimeters (1.

Soldiers dropped sandbags from military helicopters to reinforce river embankments and evacuated residents as the worst flooding in years spread Tuesday to a broad swath of Central Europe, taking lives and destroying homes.

The Danube RIver peaked at around 26 feet (8 meters) in the Hungarian capital during “the second half of the week,” city officials announced.According to the Budapest municipality, the water level could reach up to 29 feet (9 meters) by Thursday evening,

The Danube River was closed to all shipping traffic in Austria on Tuesday due to severe flooding, according to APA news agency,

The water level of the Danube River in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava peaked on Tuesday, according to the deputy mayor for the environment, as flooding affected a broad swath of Central Europe.

The Danube, Europe's largest river, burst its banks in the Hungarian capital. The water reached the building of the Hungarian parliament in Budapest, according to local media. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán says that the floods are expected to peak in Budapest on the evening of September 21.