Austria closes Danube for shipping as deadly floods spread across central Europe

The entire Danube in Austria has been closed after its banks burst in Linz, the country's third-largest city.

The river, which flows over 350 kilometres of Austria, was shut down for shipping after heavy rainfall caused floods in both Austria and Germany.

The decision to close comes after flooding turned deadly in southern Germany on the weekend, where five people were killed.

Police confirmed on Tuesday that a woman's body was recovered from a car that sank into floodwater in Bavaria.

The woman was found in the town of Markt Rettenbach after ignoring barriers blocking a flooded road on Monday and driving off the road into a field.

The bodies of four other people who died in the floods were found on Sunday and Monday, three of them in basements.

A 22-year-old firefighter was killed during a rescue operation.

The German DWD weather service declared the rainfall, which has hit southern Germany for days, had ended on Tuesday. Water levels remain at high levels, however.

Markus Söder, the minister-president of Bavaria, has announced that the state government will provide those affected with at least €100 million in financial aid. He declared the as "serious."

• Firefighter killed, ICE train derails as catastrophic flooding continues in southern Germany

• At least five dead in floods in southern Germany as situation remains critical

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the impacted areas on Tuesday, saying it was the fourth time this year he was on a similar mission.

He added the German government "will do everything we can, including using the possibilities offered by the federal government, to ensure that help can be provided quickly."

The weather has also impacted nearby Hungary and Poland, which both predicted heavy rainfall in the coming days.