© Anders Andersson/TT
* Floods wash into third day
* Rain predicted to continue into weekend
* Emergency workers say floods at "catastrophic levels"
* Kristinehamn in Värmland flooded on Wednesday night
* Those who evacuated in Getinge may now return
Rain continued to bucket down over parts of Sweden on Wednesday night, adding the town of Kristinehamn, Värmland, to the list of towns partially under water.
"We got an alarm that a man was stuck in a car in more than metre-high water," Lars Eidwall, emergency service worker in Kristinehamn, told news agency TT. "When we arrived he had managed to climb out, but the car was filled with water."
Heavy rain during the night closed several roads in Kristinehamn, including parts of major highway E18.
© Anders Andersson/TT
A dam just north of the town also flooded.
"We are trying to contain the overflow from the dam in various ways, such as by digging alternative flow routes," Peter Backman, chief of emergency service in Kristinehamn, told TT.
Forecasters said that the situation in Getinge, the initial flood scene, had stabilized somewhat and the class 3 weather warning would likely be demoted on Thursday. On Thursday afternoon those who had evacuated the area were also permitted to return.
© Anders Andersson/TT
Towns in Halland, Bohuslän, and Värmland have now been affected by flooding.
Sweden's Defence Minister Karin Enström was on the scene on Wednesday,
"What you're struck by is the enormous power of the water," she told the TT news agency.
"When it rains like this and the water has nowhere to go then the effects are huge."
The home guard has been on hand to held build water barrier using sandbags, although many streets have already flooded, leaving dozens of cars underwater.
© Anders Andersson/TT
© Anders Andersson/TT
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