BERLIN, July 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chancellor Angela Merkel visited flood-ravaged areas in Germany on Sunday to survey the damage and meet survivors, after days of extreme rainfall in western Europe left at least 171 people dead and dozens missing.
Merkel is scheduled to travel to the village of Schuld in Rhineland-Palatinate state, one of the two hardest-hit regions in western Germany, where the swollen Ahr river swept away houses and left debris piled high in the streets.
At least 144 people have died since Wednesday in Germany’s worst flooding in living memory, while 27 people have lost their lives in neighbouring Belgium.
Rescue crews in both countries were sifting through rubble to find victims, often in dangerous conditions.
The historic downpours also battered Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
As the waters began to recede in Rhineland-Palatinate and neighbouring North-Rhine Westphalia, concern shifted south to Germany’s Upper Bavaria region where heavy rains inundated basements and swelled rivers and creeks late Saturday.
One person died in Berchtesgadener Land, a spokeswoman for the Bavarian district said.
A state of emergency has been declared in eastern Bavaria over flooding, local crisis situation authorities announced Saturday evening.
A number of residential buildings got flooded. Residents were told to leave lower floors and not to go out in the streets.
Experts warn that the level of several rivers may rise abruptly. Meanwhile, some rivers’ water level is already 1.5 meter higher than predicted.
The scale of the flood impact was gradually becoming clear in Germany, with damaged buildings being assessed, some of which will have to be demolished, and efforts under way to restore gas, electricity and telephone services.
In some areas, soldiers used armoured vehicles to clear the debris clogging streets.
In NRW, divers were sent in to search submerged homes and vehicles.
Local authorities in NRW and Rhineland-Palatinate said dozens of people remain unaccounted for across both states.
They have stressed however that disruption to communication networks made a precise assessment difficult, and the real number of missing could be lower.
Roger Lewentz, interior minister for Rhineland-Palatinate, said more than 670 people were injured.
Across the border in Belgium, the death toll jumped to 27 with many people still missing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Alexander de Croo visited the flooded areas of Rochefort and Pepinster together on Saturday.
“Europe is with you,” von der Leyen tweeted afterwards. “We are with you in mourning and we will be with you in rebuilding.”
In Austria, emergency workers in the Salzburg and Tyrol regions were on high alert for flooding. The historic town centre of Hallein, near the German frontier, was under water.
Belgium has declared Tuesday a day of official mourning. — NNN-AGENCIES
