Over 50 dead, dozens missing as severe floods strike Europe – The Denver Post – Denver, Colorado

By FRANK JORDANS

Berlin (AP) - Floods in Germany and Belgium turned streams and streets into raging torrents, washed away cars and toppled houses, killing more than 50 people and leaving dozens missing Thursday. I did.

Flash floods occurred overnight after rivers and reservoirs breached embankments and saturated soil was no longer able to absorb water due to recent storms in parts of Western Europe.

When visiting Washington, German Chancellor Angela Merkel shocked the extent of the flood and said: "I am saddened by those who died in the disaster." "I don't know the number yet, but it will be more."

He promised that everything possible would be done to find those who were still missing, adding that "the heavy rains and floods do not reflect what happened."

North Rhine-Westphalia officials said at least 30 people had died, while 19 were reported dead in southern Rhineland-Palatinate. Belgian media reported that eight people had died in the country.

Among the most devastating German villages was Schuld, where several houses collapsed and dozens of people were left unexplained.

Rescue efforts were hampered by the blocking of roads in the volcanic area of ​​rolling hills and small valleys, the Eifel, and the suspension of the telephone and internet. Some villages turned to rubble because old brick and wood houses could not withstand the sudden torrents of water and often dragged trees and other debris as they spat through the narrow streets.

Karl Heinz Grimm, who came to help his parents at Schuld, said he had never seen a surge in the little river Aa in such a deadly torrent.

"Tonight was like crazy," he said.

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

"Many people are dead, missing or still at risk," Rhineland-Palatinate Governor Malu Dreyer told the local council. “We have never seen a disaster like this. It's really devastating. "

According to the European US Army, 52 Civil Engineers and several volunteers from the US Air Force base in Spangdahlem buried and distributed hundreds of sandbags to protect homes and businesses in the area.

In Belgium, the river Vesdor flowed over the embankment, churning the streets of Pepanster near Liege. There, a small boat capsized and three elderly people disappeared, failing the rescue operations of the firefighters.

"Unfortunately, they were quickly swallowed," said Mayor Philip Godin. "I'm worried they are dead."

In Belvier, the prosecution said several bodies were found, but could not confirm local media reports that four died there.

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

In the 200,000 city of Liège, the Meuse river crossed the embankment on Thursday and the mayor asked nearby residents to move to higher ground.

"I am thinking of the families of the victims of the devastating floods in Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and of the families of those who have lost their homes," said Ursula von der Reyen, President of the EU Commission. Made.

The full extent of the damage is still unknown, as many villages were blocked by floods and landslides, rendering roads impassable. A video on social media showed cars moving down the street and the house partially collapsed. Many of the dead were found only after the floods receded.

Authorities in Rhein-Sieg county, in the south of Cologne, have ordered the evacuation of several villages below the Steinbach reservoir, as the dam threatens to collapse.

Two firefighters were killed in a rescue operation in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia. Governor Armin Laschet paid tribute to them and promised prompt assistance.

"We do not yet know the extent of the damage, but the victims alone will not leave the community," he said during a visit to the flooded city of Hagen.

The conservative Rachette, who is running to take over Merkel as prime minister in this fall's election, said unusually intense storms and early heat waves could be associated with climate change. Political opponents have criticized Rachette, the son of a miner, for supporting the coal industry in the region and hindering the expansion of wind power during his tenure.

Stephen Ramstorff, a professor of physical oceanography at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, said it is unclear whether the extreme rainfall observed in Germany was 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, where warmer air absorbs more water vapor and eventually said it would rain.

"Increased heavy rains and decreased light rain days are now more evident in the observational data, especially in the latitudes of the north-central region, including Germany," Rahmstorf said.

He added that the weakening of atmospheric circulation in summer can also contribute to longer-lasting weather patterns, such as heat waves and continued rainfall.

Water levels in the Moselle and the Rhine were expected to continue to rise, but rains subsided across Germany later on Thursday.

In the Netherlands, King William Alexander and Queen Máxima visited the destroyed Dutch city of Falkenburg on Thursday night to help residents and paramedics. The flooding turned the main street into a torrent of brown water, flooding homes and businesses.

The Dutch government sent around 70 soldiers to south Limburg on Wednesday night to help evacuate and fill sandbags.

Thousands of people in the vicinity of the city of Maastricht and other villages along the Meuse River were ordered to evacuate Thursday night under the threat of flooding, and a center was set up to house them. Mars is the Dutch name for the river Meuse.

In northeastern France, heavy rains flooded vegetable fields, many houses and the Museum of the First World War in Romagne-sous-Montfocon. According to local firefighters, firefighters evacuated people from camps around the town of Fresnes in Uble. Bastille Day fireworks have been canceled in some small towns.

According to L'Est Republicain, the Ayre River has reached its highest level in 30 years in some areas.

According to the French National Meteorological Service, two months of rain fell over two days and flood warnings were issued in 10 areas. No injuries or deaths have been reported, but meteorologists warned that landslides and rains would increase on Friday.

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Contributed by Associated Press journalist Raf Casert in Brussels, Angela Charlton in Paris and Mike Corder in The Hague.