The worst of the flooding may be over, but parts of central and eastern Europe are still on alert.

At least 43 people have been killed in total, no less than 32 of them in Romania alone.

The central Harghita region has been hit especially hard. Fourteen people there are known to have lost their lives.

Romania's President Traian Basescu has been visting Harghita.

In Switzerland evacuations from areas in the Alps are continuing. Hundreds have been taken to safety in Brienz.

Water levels of rivers and lakes across the country remain high but the situation appears to be stabilising as the weather improves slightly.

"The most important thing is that we are alive," one man said. "Our personal belongings can be replaced - those who died can't."

The capital Bern has been badly affected.

Insurers say the cost could be one billion Swiss francs, or 640 million euros.

Across the border the state of Bavaria in southern Germany has borne the brunt of the flooding.

The level of the Danube has gone down a little, but the danger remains - particularly in areas where it meets other rivers. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has visited Augsburg near the stricken region, promising financial support.

"It's very hard for us to take," one man told reporters. "It's easy to get weepy about this. We're all at the end of our tether."

Overall at least 11 people are reported dead or missing in Switerland, Germany and Austria, and in many places the costly clean-up has only just begun.

PHOTO CAPTION

Car wreckages covered with mud and debris after heavy floods in Brienz in the Bernese Oberland, August 26, 2005.(REUTERS)