May 28, 2010 | 0 comments
WARSAW (Reuters) - The bodies of two more flood victims have been found in Poland, officials said Friday, bringing the death toll to 18 amid hopes the worst is over after two weeks of surging waters.
Rivers across Poland burst their banks or broke through embankments after heavy rains in mid-May, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes and doing an estimated 2 billion euros or more in damage.
"The situation should start improving now because high waters are already pouring into the sea, though embankments are very weak after days of inundation," Internal Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Malgorzata Wozniak said.
The government has earmarked 2 billion zlotys for the flood victims and has asked the European Union for help.
Poland's top insurer PZU said Friday that its losses related to the flooding would not exceed 156 million zloty ($47.65 million), because further losses would be covered by its reassurance contracts.
Only two of Poland's 16 regions have escaped damage in flooding, which has also affected nearby Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
(Writing by Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Steve Gutterman)
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