Snow melt, rain causing widespread flooding in Germany

BERLIN (AP) — Rivers around Germany are continuing to swell, fed by melting snow and regular rain and leading to widespread flooding and disruptions to shipping traffic. Residents in the eastern community of Burkhardtsdorf in Saxony, not far from the Czech Republic border, built sandbag barricades outside their homes Thursday as the Zwoenitz river that runs through the town overflowed its banks. In the west, the Rhine’s crest dropped slightly but remained at high levels in Cologne. The Rhine rose in other areas north of Cologne, including Duesseldorf, Duisburg, Wesel and Rees.