Europe flooding resulted in 26 people dead

Emergency services in Switzerland, Austria and Germany are trying to restore basic services across alpine regions stricken by recent floods.

Thousands of people were forced to abandon their homes in recent days, as road and rail links were cut and many villages left completely isolated.

At least 11 people are reported dead or missing, including two firefighters killed by a mudslide on Monday.

Flood waters have receded in some areas as the weather has improved, reports BBC News.

According to CNN, hundreds of people were evacuated as waters rose Tuesday following storms that sent thundering cascades of muddy brown water surging along riverbanks in many regions, causing millions of euros (dollars) in damage.

In the rest of central and southern Europe rescue workers continued to pile up sandbags to hold back surging floodwaters and evacuated hundreds of people from alpine valleys.

At least 26 people have died in storm or flood-related accidents in the past week; most drowned, were crushed by debris or collapsed buildings or struck by lightning. Two Swiss firefighters were killed Monday in a landslide.

Worst hit was Romania with 18 dead, some 20,000 homes inundated and more than 1,000 small bridges damaged.

Thundering torrents of water surged along riverbanks in many regions, causing millions of dollars in damage.