ERFTSTADT/WASSENBERG – Devastating flooding in western Germany and Belgium killed at least 170 people on Saturday, after burst rivers and flash floods earlier this week destroyed homes, torn up highways, and took down power lines.
Flooding in Germany claimed the lives of 143 people, making it the country’s worst natural disaster in more than half a century. According to authorities, around 98 people were killed in the Ahrweiler area south of Cologne.
Hundreds of individuals were still missing or unreachable since some locations were impassable owing to high water levels, and communication was still down in several areas.
In devastated communities, residents and business owners battled to pick up the wreckage.
“Everything has been utterly demolished. The scenery is unfamiliar to you “Michael Lang, the proprietor of a wine business in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in Ahrweiler, fought back tears as he said.
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany paid a visit to Erftstadt in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where at least 45 people were killed in the catastrophe.
He stated, “We grieve with those who have lost friends, acquaintances, and family members.” “Their destiny is shattering our hearts.”
Authorities reported a dam collapsed late Friday in the town of Wassenberg near Cologne, evacuating over 700 people.
Water levels, however, have been stabilising since the night, according to Wassenberg mayor Marcel Maurer. “It’s too early to give the green light,” he added, “but we’re cautiously hopeful.”
Authorities said the Steinbachtal dam in western Germany was still at risk of breaking after some 4,500 people were evacuated from their houses downstream.
According to Steinmeier, assessing the entire extent of the damage, which is likely to cost many billions of euros in restoration money, would take weeks. Armin Laschet, the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia and the CDU’s general election candidate in September, said he will speak with Finance Minister Olaf Scholz about financial assistance in the coming days.
On Sunday, Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to visit to Rhineland Palatinate, the state where the destroyed community of Schuld is located.
According to the national crisis centre, which is coordinating the rescue effort in Belgium, the dead toll has risen to 27.
103 individuals were listed as “missing or unreachable,” according to the report. According to the centre, some people were likely unable to contact them because they couldn’t charge their phones or were in hospitals without identification papers.
