Floods kill 26 in eastern Europe

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At least 22 people are now believed to have died in severe storms and flooding in western parts of Ukraine.

The government in Kiev has held an emergency meeting to draw up a response to the rains, which have left thousands homeless, cut power and felled bridges.

Western Ukraine has been battered by five consecutive days of heavy rain and wind. At least four people were also killed in neighbouring Romania.

Ukrainian officials say it is too early to estimate the cost of the damage.

Some 40,000 homes have been affected by the storms, the authorities say.

Disaster area

Hundreds of towns and villages on both sides of the border have been left without electricity and many bridges have been damaged.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko visited the affected region on Sunday, declaring it a disaster area.

Persistent heavy rain near the Prut and Dniester rivers caused floods that damaged thousands of homes and forced many people to leave their homes in Ukraine, the emergency ministry said.

In Romania, the interior ministry said four people died in floods in the north-eastern county of Maramures, with two still missing.

Authorities said some of the region's 12,000 evacuated residents were returning to their homes as floodwaters receded, but warned there could still be a threat from water flowing downstream from Ukraine.

Aerial footage of flooded areas in Romania

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