BERLIN - More than 60 people were killed and dozens missing on Thursday when severe flooding in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging torrents that washed away cars and caused houses to collapse.
Among the dead were nine residents of an assisted living center for people with disabilities and two firefighters involved in rescue efforts throughout the region.
"I cry for those who have lost their lives in this disaster," said German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to Washington, expressing shock at the extent of the floods.
Speaking alongside US President Joe Biden at the White House, Merkel said her thoughts were with all those who had lost loved ones or were still searching for them.
"I am afraid that the full scope of this tragedy will only be seen in the next few days," he said.
Biden also expressed his condolences for the devastating loss of life and destruction caused by the floods.
"Our hearts go out to the families who have lost loved ones," he said.
Authorities said at least 30 people died in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and 28 in neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate to the south. Belgian media reported eight deaths in that country.
Recent storms in parts of Western Europe caused rivers and reservoirs to overflow, causing flash floods overnight after saturated soil was unable to absorb any more water.
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.
A damaged house is seen on the Ahr river in Insul, western Germany, on Thursday July 15, 2021. Due to heavy rains, the Ahr river dramatically overflowed the night before. People have died and scores are missing in Germany after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, washing away cars and causing some buildings to collapse. (AP Photo / Michael Probst)
A building is damaged in Hagen, Germany, on Thursday, July 15, 2021, by a river flooding the night before. People have died and scores are missing in Germany after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, washing away cars and causing some buildings to collapse. (AP Photo / Martin Meissner)
A photo, taken with a drone, shows the devastation caused by the flooding of the Ahr river in the Eifel village of Schuld, in western Germany, on Thursday, July 15, 2021. At least eight people have died and dozens of people are missing in Germany. After heavy flooding, streams and streets turned into raging torrents, washing away cars and causing some buildings to collapse. (Christoph Reichwein / dpa via AP)
A street is covered in rubble in Bad Muenstereifel, Germany, on Thursday July 15, 2021 after heavy rains and flooding from the Erft River. People have died and scores are missing in Germany after heavy flooding turned streams and streets into raging torrents, washing away cars and causing some buildings to collapse. (B & S / dpa via AP)
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. โWe have never seen a disaster like this. It's really devastating. "
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.
In Belgium, the Vesdre river overflowed its banks and sent water to the streets of Pepinster, near Liรจge, 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.
In Liรจge, a city of 200,000, the Meuse river overflowed on Thursday and the mayor asked people living nearby to move to higher ground.
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 lost their means. of life.
The full extent of the damage was still unclear, with many villages cut off by floods and landslides that made roads impassable. 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.
Armin Laschet, governor of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, paid tribute to two firefighters who died 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.
Laschet, a conservative who is running to succeed Merkel as chancellor in this fall's 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.
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 you can say that such events are becoming more frequent due to global warming," he told The Associated Press, noting that warmer air can absorb more water vapor that eventually falls as rain.
"Increased heavy rains and decreased days with light rains are now also clearly seen in the observational data, especially in the northern mid-latitudes, which include Germany," Rahmstorf said.
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.
Rains subsided on Thursday afternoon in Germany, although water levels in the Mosel and Rhine rivers were expected to continue to rise.
In the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Mรกxima visited the Dutch city of Valkenburg on Thursday evening 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 on Wednesday night to help with evacuations and fill sandbags.
Thousands of people in the city of Maastricht and towns along the Maas River were ordered to evacuate Thursday night 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.
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.
Associated Press editors Raf Casert in Brussels; Angela Charlton in Paris; Frances D'Emilio in Rome; and Mike Corder in The Hague contributed to this report.
