The situation remains critical in Romanian counties along the banks of river Danube despite improving forecasts and slower water flows. The most critical evolution is recorded in the county of Dolj, where some ten thousand people were ready for evacuation on Tuesday after a local dam collapsed before the Danube waves, threatening nine villages.

Romanian Administration and Interior minister Vasile Blaga announced in a press conference also on Tuesday that 4,800 people have been evacuated from flooded areas so far, 4200 of which in two villages from the Dolj county.

He said 13 counties have been affected by worsening weather in Romania, 12 along the Danube and one in central Romania – the county of Hunedoara, where landslides were reported. Swollen Danube has flooded 628 households in 119 villages, towns and cities. 200 of these houses collapsed and 120 are about to do so, he said.

According to Environment minister Sulfina Barbu one new controlled flooding operation was organized in the county of Tulcea, where Danube flows into the Black Sea. The minister was in the counties of Calarasi and Ialomita on Tuesday to see the effects of such operations in these areas.

Hydrologists announced that Danube levels were receding slightly along much of the Romanian portion of the river today, but were rising still from Harsova in the Constanta county to the city of Tulcea.

Ioan Sandu, head of the Meteorology Administration, also said in a press conference today that rain falls expected for the coming days would worsen the current situation. He said weather will turn worse up to Monday, the second day of the Orthodox Easter celebrated in Romania.