Emergency crews aided by soldiers were furiously working in much of central Europe yesterday to shore up flood defences, preparing for rising waters expected to peak soon.

Rivers across the region have been swelling fast due to melted snow and rain, forcing thousands to evacuate and bringing businesses to a halt.

The Czech government declared a state of emergency in seven of its 14 regions, after seven flood-related deaths were reported. Over the weekend, more than 10,000 Czechs left their homes amid heavy rains. Unlike 2002, the ancient capital of Prague has been spared any serious damage, though it remains on high alert.

Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek said he fears the situation may worsen, but the government has already pledged 380 million crowns ($16.1 million) for the disaster.

?But if that sum is not enough, we will seek alternative resources. I think that we will also turn to the European Union,? Paroubek said. Finance Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said the cabinet is expected on Wednesday to boost this year?s state budget by 5 billion crowns ($212 million) to pay for damages.

On Sunday evening, a dam burst on the March river, which separates Austria from Slovakia, flooding the Austrian village of Duernkrut, police said.

Roughly 200 people were evacuated from the village, of which parts were submerged in 1 metre (3 feet) of water.

With the water flowing north, the River Elbe in Germany rose further overnight, but not as quickly as had been feared.

Hundreds of workers toiled around the clock checking dikes, building dams of sandbags and pumping water away.

Authorities in the eastern state of Saxony, the worst affected region in Germany, expected the flood to reach its high point on Tuesday. Around 1,500 Saxony residents had been moved out, but the waters remained much lower than the catastrophic levels of 2002.

Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky asked the government to declare an emergency in two stretches of the Danube in the Hungarian capital after the river rose above 8.0 metres.

Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany declined the call, but has rushed from a Socialist rally to fill sandbags to defend the city, which has strong defences against flooding.

The Danube is expected to peak at around 8.60 metres on Tuesday in Budapest, above the 2002 record level of 8.48.

Serbia and Romanian officials also said their countries were on high alert as the Danube level rises.