Forty-two people have been confirmed dead in western Germany and many more are missing following severe floods, police say.
The worst of the flooding has been in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, where buildings and cars have been washed away.
Unusually heavy rains also ravaged neighboring Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium, where at least six people were reported dead.
It follows record rainfall in parts of western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks.
🌧 La crue de la Vesdre atteint une ampleur dramatique à Verviers dans l’est de la Belgique ce matin ! Certaines rues sont noyées sous près de 2 mètres d’eau ! (© Katia Bogaert) pic.twitter.com/yDGNgflP1y
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) July 15, 2021
Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) states in Germany were the worst hit by the unusually heavy rainfall, which has caused rivers to burst their banks and threatens to bring down more homes.
Officials linked the unusual extreme weather to the climate crisis and a weather service says about 2 months of rain fell in 1-2 days.
Malu Dreyer, chief of Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state, described the flooding as a “catastrophe“.
She said;
There are dead, missing and many people still in danger. All of our emergency services are in action round the clock and risking their own lives.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in the US ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden, said she was “shocked by the disaster“.
At least 19 people died in the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate, after the Ahr river, which flows into the Rhine, burst its banks.
Police helicopters and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to some areas to help stranded residents. Earlier, police said dozens of people were waiting on rooftops to be rescued.
Schools have been closed around the west of the country, while transport links have been severely disrupted.
About 25 houses are in danger of collapsing in the district of Schuld bei Adenau in the mountainous Eifel region, where a state of emergency has been declared, according to German broadcaster SWR.
It said some houses had been completely cut-off and could no longer be reached by boat.
Eight deaths were reported in the district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia, while four people died in the Eifel region when their homes were swept away.
Residents in the region told AFP news agency they were stunned by the disaster.
Meanwhile, two firefighters died on Wednesday in North Rhine-Westphalia. One drowned, while the other reportedly collapsed following a rescue operation.
Belgium has also been hit by flash floods, and dramatic video showed cars being swept away along a street in the city of Verviers.
Heavy rain has caused rivers in the French-speaking region of Wallonia to burst their banks. Two were reported dead.
The provinces of Liege and Namur were especially affected, with the resort town of Spa completely flooded. In the town of Chaudfontaine, daily Le Soir reported that nearly 1,800 people had to evacuate.
Chaudefontaine mayor, Daniel Bacquelaine told RTL radio.
We have rarely experienced such intense flooding. You have to go back to 1998 to have experienced this.
The country’s Infrabel rail network said it was suspending services in the southern half of the country on Thursday, given the risks to travel.
Transport Minister Georges Gilkinet told Belga news agency;
It is indeed impossible to ensure the safe movement of trains for passengers or to have access to strategic areas for their staff.
The southern Dutch province of Limburg which is bordered by Germany and Belgium also reported widespread damage with rising waters threatening to cut off the small city of Valkenburg west of Maastricht.
Local news footage showed small rivers of water flowing through the scenic city centre’s streets and at least one old age home had been evacuated.
Officials also closed off several roads including the busy A2 highway, while fears remained that water from heavy rains in Germany and Belgium would push up river levels as it reached the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Luxembourg government set up a crisis cell to respond to emergencies triggered by heavy rains overnight as Prime Minister Xavier Bettel reported “several homes” had been flooded and were “no longer inhabitable”.
