People looking at the floods stand on the Alma bridge by the Zouave statue which is used as a measuring instrument during floods in Paris, France Friday June 3, 2016. (AP Photo)
The rain-swollen Seine River in Paris receded slightly Saturday for the first time in a week after bursting its banks in some places and nearing its highest level in more than three decades.
The river stood at only 6.07 metres (just under 20 feet) above normal levels at 6:00am (0400 GMT), the official Vigicrues website on flooding and heavy rains said.
The current level was the same as that recorded on Friday night, after which it rose to 6.09 metres, sparking emergency measures.
The famed Louvre and Orsay museums have shut their doors in a race to move art treasures from their basements, some metro stations have been closed and Parisians have been advised to stay away from the Seine.
The record for flooding in Paris is the 8.62 metres reached in 1910. Persistently heavy rainfall across western and central Europe has swollen rivers and claimed victims from at least four countries.
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