Four people have died and more than 30 are missing following the collapse of several homes after heavy rain triggered severe flooding in western Germany, police said.
The deaths were reported south of Bonn in the Ahrweiler district, which is a wine-growing region on the Ahr river that flows into the Rhine which burst its banks, bringing down the houses.
The properties in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate collapsed last night, broadcaster SWR said.
Around 25 more houses are in danger of collapsing in the district of Schuld bei Adenau in the hilly Eiffel region, it added.
The report described the situation in the rural district of Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prum as “extremely dangerous”, with dozens of people left stranded on rooftops.
The Kyll river has overflowed its banks in Erdorf and flooded parts of the village. Pic: Harald Tittel/dpa/AP
A spokesman for the district told the broadcaster a family-of-five were stranded in a property completely surrounded by water.
Homes have been evacuated in areas within a 50 metre radius of the Ahr river.
The city of Hagen has declared a state of emergency. Pic: Friedemann Vogel/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Some residents in Altenahr have been spotted climbing on top of their homes waiting to be rescued by air, SWR said.
Rescuers have become trapped themselves in some parts, due to the strong current of the floodwaters.
“There are many places where fire brigades and rescue workers have been deployed. We don’t yet have a very precise picture because rescue measures are continuing,” a police spokesperson said.
Residents have had to be evacuated in some parts of western Germany. Pic: Gianni Gattus/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
It comes after the German Weather Service issued an extreme weather warning for parts of three western states yesterday, and the army was deployed to help stranded residents.
Two firefighters died in the Sauerland region, northeast of Bonn, on Wednesday. One had drowned and a second collapsed after a rescue operation, according to the DPA news agency.
A woman wades through the floodwater in Gross-Vernich in North Rhine-Westphalia
Hagen, a city of 180,000, declared a state of emergency yesterday after the Volme river burst its banks.
Floodwaters caused the lifts to fail in a hospital, and a care home had to evacuated.
A flooded street in the city of Solingen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Pic: Gianni Gattus/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Residents were also told to leave a district of the regional capital Duesseldorf, a major business centre.
The deluge of rain and flooding has disrupted rail, road and river transport, with shipping suspended on the Rhine river.
There have been thunderstorms in Berlin. Pic: Filip Singer/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Further heavy rainstorms are expected to hit southwestern Germany today, and could continue until Friday night, forecasters warned.
“We see this kind of situation only in winter ordinarily,” Bernd Mehlig, an environment official from North Rhine-Westphalia, the most affected region, told broadcaster WDR.
“Something like this, with this intensity, is completely unusual in summer.”
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