At least 80 dead and 1,300 missing in German floods

At least 80 people have died in flooding caused by devastating rains in eastern Germany and 1,300 people are still missing., according to the latest report from the authorities.

“The fear is that the figure will have to be corrected upwards”said a police spokesman in Koblenz, a town at the mouth of the Moselle, whose waters flow towards the Rhine, one of the affected areas.

The rains have diminished but the situation in the affected regions remains tense.

The number of missing is difficult to estimate precisely because, according to a spokeswoman for the Ahrweiler district, mobile phone lines have collapsed and many people could not be reached.

The military has assigned 900 troops to assist with the rescue and search of missing persons in the federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia.

In total, according to the Interior Ministry, 15,000 people are working for relief.

Authorities have warned citizens to withdraw from river approaches and not enter flooded basements as there is a risk of electric shocks.

The economic damage from the storm has yet to be estimated, but considering that it affected roads, railways and bridges as well as homes and private businesses, a fairly large amount is expected.

The Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate has allocated a first emergency tranche of 50 million euros to mitigate the damage.

German police reported on Friday the increase in the death toll following the floods that hit the west of the country.

The affected states are North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, where at least 30 and 50 people have died respectively. “The fear is that there will be more,” a police spokesperson said according to ‘Bild’.

Likewise, the Ahrweiler district administration said 1,300 people are missing and pointed out that 19 have died, although this figure is expected to increase. In addition to casualties and missing, the floods caused severe damage to several towns and roads.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel conveyed her condolences to the victims and said she was “shocked by the reports that there are places completely under water”. “We do not yet know the number of victims and victims, but there will be many”, regretted.

The storm is also affecting Belgium, where eleven people have died and four have disappeared, in addition to the affected electricity service and interrupted mobility in the Walloon region, according to ‘Le Soir’.

(With information from EFE and Europa Press)

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