THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN EVACUATED FROM TWO DANUBE VILLAGES IN WESTERN ROMANIA AND THOUSANDS MORE ARE UNDER THREAT AS THE RIVER HIT NEAR-RECORD LEVELS IN ROMANIA AND BULGARIA TUESDAY. MORE THAN 3,000 PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED FROM THE VILLAGE OF RAST AFTER A DIKE COLLAPSED SUNDAY, WHILE SOME 400 PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES IN NEARBY NEGOI. AUTHORITIES SAID MORE THAN 600 HOUSES IN RAST WERE FLOODED, WITH 115 COLLAPSING. IN NEGOI, SOME 150 HOUSES WERE FLOODED. A MAJOR ROAD WAS ALSO UNDER WATER, AND HUNDREDS OF RESCUE WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERS WERE WORKING TO REPAIR THE DIKE AND HELP LOCAL RESIDENTS. IN THE NEARBY DANUBE COMMUNITY OF BISTRET, HUNDREDS OF RESCUE WORKERS SCRAMBLED TO REPAIR A DIKE WHICH CRACKED EARLY TUESDAY UNDER THE WEIGHT OF THE WATERS. ARMY RESCUE WORKERS USED TRUCKS, AND VILLAGERS USED HORSE-DRAWN CARTS TO PILE UP SANDBAGS AGAINST THE DIKE. THOUSANDS FACED THE PROSPECT OF HAVING TO LEAVE THEIR HOMES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTED.
