BUDAPEST, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The peak of a flood that started to hit Hungary last week is receding on Tuesday, two days earlier than expected, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
The flood crest would pass Mohacs in the south and leave the country during the day, earlier than the previously forecast departure on Thursday, Orban said at a press conference.
He said the expected rainfall this week would not affect the flood wave's course. "We have every reason to hope that the flood will not breach the flood defense system."
While the banks of the Danube still require thorough cleaning, Orban declared the situation in the capital as "cleared."
The number of flood defense personnel has been reduced from 4,458 on Monday to 1,847 on Tuesday, according to the prime minister. He also detailed that the flood control and prevention operation had involved two million sandbags and approximately 55,000 tons of sand.
Orban also emphasized the need to consider building mobile flood barriers along certain areas of the Danube to avoid relying on sandbag defenses during future floods.
