Flooding in Germany and Belgium leaves more than 60 dead as streets become raging torrents

More than 60 people have died and dozens are missing after severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging torrents of water that washed away cars and caused houses to collapse.

Storms in parts of Western Europe in recent days caused rivers and reservoirs to overflow, causing flash floods on Wednesday night when the saturated soil could not absorb any more water.

"I am sorry for those who have lost their lives in this disaster," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to Washington, expressing her shock at the extent of the floods.

"We still don't know the number [of dead]. But there will be many. "

She promised that everything possible would be done to find those who are still missing, adding: "'Heavy rains and floods' does not capture what happened."

Authorities in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia said at least 30 people had died, while 28 deaths were reported in the southern state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

Belgian media reported eight deaths there.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to search, up and down arrows for volume.

'Tonight, it was like crazy'

Among the hardest hit German villages was Schuld, where several houses collapsed and dozens of people remained missing.

Rescue operations were hampered by blocked roads and telephone and internet cuts in the Eifel, a volcanic region of hills and small valleys.

Some villages were reduced to rubble because the old brick and wood houses could not withstand the sudden rush of water, which often washed away trees and other debris that gushed down the narrow streets.

Karl-Heinz Grimm, who had come to help his parents in Schuld, said that he had never seen the little river Ahr rise in such a deadly torrent.

"Tonight, it was crazy," he said.

Dozens of people had to be rescued from the roofs of their houses with inflatable boats and helicopters. Hundreds of soldiers were deployed to assist in the rescue efforts.

"There are dead people, there are missing people, there are many who are still in danger," Rhineland-Palatinate state governor Malu Dreyer told the regional parliament.

The 52nd squad of civil engineers and several volunteers from the US air base in Spangdahlem filled and distributed hundreds of sandbags to help protect homes and businesses in the area, the US European Command said.

Charging

In Belgium, the Vesdre river overflowed its banks and sent water to the streets of Pepinster, near Liège, where a rescue operation by firefighters went awry when a small boat capsized and three old men disappeared.

"Unfortunately, they were quickly swallowed up," said Mayor Philippe Godin.

"I'm afraid they are dead."

In Verviers, the prosecutor's office said several bodies had been found, but could not confirm local media reports that four people died there.

Major highways were flooded in the southern and eastern parts of the country, and the rail authority said all trains were stopped.

In Liège, a city of 200,000, the Meuse river overflowed and the mayor asked people who lived nearby to move to higher ground.

The scale of the disaster is still unclear

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to help, and Pope Francis sent his condolences, his office saying the pontiff was praying for the wounded and missing, as well as those who had lost their livelihoods.

The full extent of the damage was still unclear, with many villages cut off by floods and landslides that made roads impassable.

Videos on social media showed cars floating through the streets and houses partially collapsed. Many of the dead were only discovered after the floodwaters receded.

Authorities in Rhine-Sieg County south of Cologne ordered the evacuation of several villages below the Steinbach Reservoir amid fears that a dam could break.

Two firefighters were killed in rescue operations in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state.

Governor Armin Laschet paid tribute to them and promised quick help.

"We still do not know the extent of the damage, but we will not leave the communities, the affected people alone," he said during a visit to the flood-affected city of Hagen.

Governor says storms could be linked to climate change

Laschet, a conservative who is running to succeed Merkel as chancellor in the upcoming elections, said the unusually strong storms and an earlier heat wave could be linked to climate change.

Political opponents have criticized Laschet, the son of a miner, for supporting the region's coal industry and hindering the expansion of wind power during his tenure.

Charging

Stefan Rahmstorf, a professor of ocean physics at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said it was unclear whether the extreme rains observed in Germany were a direct result of global warming.

"But it can be said that such events are becoming more frequent due to global warming," he said.

He noted that warmer air can absorb more water vapor that eventually falls as rain.

"The increase in heavy rains and the decrease in days with light rains are now also clearly seen in the observational data, especially in the northern mid-latitudes, which include Germany," said Professor Rahmstorf.

The weakening of the summer circulation of the atmosphere, which causes longer weather patterns, such as heat waves or continuous rains, could also play a role, he added.

The rains later subsided in Germany on Thursday, although water levels in the Mosel and Rhine rivers were expected to continue to rise.

Floods in the Netherlands and France

In the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima visited the hard-hit Dutch city of Valkenburg to support residents and emergency services.

The floods turned the main street into a torrent of brown water that flooded homes and businesses.

The Dutch government sent around 70 soldiers to the southern province of Limburg to help with evacuations and fill sandbags.

Charging

Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate from Maastricht city neighborhoods and other villages along the Meuse River amid flood threats, and centers were set up to house them.

Maas is the Dutch name for the river Meuse.

In northeastern France, heavy rains flooded vegetable fields, many houses, and a World War I museum in Romagne-sous-Montfaucon.

Firefighters evacuated people from camps around the town of Fresnes-en-Woevre, according to local firefighters. Bastille Day fireworks were canceled in some small towns.

The Aire river rose to its highest levels in 30 years in some areas, according to the newspaper L'Est Republicain.

The equivalent of two months of rain has fallen in two days, according to the French national meteorological service, with flood warnings issued for 10 regions.

No injuries or deaths have been reported, but forecasters warned of landslides and more rain on Friday.

AP