Deadly floods force Paris art museums to close for the first time in decades… just days before hundreds of thousands of footie fans arrive in France for Euro 2016
Chaos reigns in the European country as strikes cause delays and disruption
THE Mona Lisa may have to be evacuated from the Louvre after severe flood warnings force art galleries in Paris to shut.
High winds and heavy rain spell disaster for the French capital as football fans flock to the country for Euro 2016.
President Francois Hollande said that the floods across France could soon be deemed a ‘natural disaster’.
A spokesman for the Louvre said: “The Mona Lisa has not been evacuated yet, but cellars containing reserve pieces have been.
“In the short term, the paintings will be moved to a higher floor, to avoid being damaged by water.”
The Mona Lisa is one of the most famous paintings in the world and has the highest insurance value for a painting in history.
By midday, the banks of the river Seine are set to be 6 metres higher than usual.
Paris and its surrounding area are now on an orange alert, the second highest flood alert.
As the Seine continues to rise, swathes of art galleries and museums in Paris have shut down for the first time since the Second World War.
The Musée D’Orsay announced on Thursday that they would close after putting in place their emergency ‘protection plan’.
The gallery houses many great works of French art by Renoir, Degas and van Gogh.
The Louvre also announced that they would be shut today.
Restaurants and cafes throughout the capital followed suit.
Sections of the suburban railway that leads to Paris were already shut.
Restaurant owner Yvonne Leclerc said: “It's like a disaster zone. There are so many problems in France at the moment, and now this. It really couldn't get much worse.”
The deadly floods are just the latest disaster to strike France just days before the Euro 2016 football championships kick off.
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The country has been brought to a near standstill after unions decided to strike in protest against Hollande’s new labour legislation.
Striking oil workers have meant that thousands of petrol stations across the country have run dry.
The worst affected areas were to the north of France.
French national rail workers also decided to strike, causing chaos throughout the country.
75 Ryanair flights to France were cancelled this week when air traffic controllers said that they would strike this weekend.
But the strike was called off at the last minute, leaving British footie fans stranded in Blighty.
Tens of thousands of Brits flying into France for the Euros may also find themselves without a place to stay.
Many hotel managers have promised to throw out supporters who are rowdy.
In the small town of Lens, hotel bosses are willing to stop serving alcohol if things get violent.
French authorities are expecting 2.5 million football fans to head to the country over the course of Euro 2016, which starts on 10 June.
The head of the EU’s law enforcement agency has warned that ISIS might try to sabotage the massive tournament.
Director of Europol Rob Wainwright said that there was a “high threat” of a terror attack by the sick extremists.
France is still under a state of emergency following terror attacks in Paris and in neighbouring Brussels over the last year.
In November, 130 people were killed in a coordinated attack on bars and restaurants in Paris.
32 people also died after suicide bombers targeted Brussels airport and metro in March.
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