Floods in Europe have left over 180 dead and hundreds missing | German Chancellor Merkel visited areas devastated by the storm

German Chancellor Angela Merkel began visiting areas devastated by the floods on Sunday. There is a toll of at least 183 dead in Germany and Belgium and more than 300 missing, in addition to considerable damage.

Merkel arrived shortly before 1 p.m. (from Germany) in the town of Schuld, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, one of the two hardest hit in western Germany, where the flooding of the Ahr river washed away houses and left the streets strewn with rubble.

The toll of the disaster has so far left 156 dead in Germany and 27 others in Belgium. Extreme rains also hit Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

The waters began to recede in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia (RNW), and the Concern turned to the southern region of Upper Bavaria, where heavy rains flooded basements and caused flooding in rivers. Saturday evening.

In Austria, rescuers from the regions of Salzburg and Tyrol were on alert. The historic town of Hallein, near the German border, was covered in water.

Merkel called the floods “the tragedy” and pledged government support to affected German municipalities. The German government has announced plans to create a special fund to deal with the damage, which could cost billions of dollars.

More than 300 people were still missing on Saturday evening in the canton which alone surrounds the city of Bonn. (North Rhine-Westphalia), where about 600,000 inhabitants live.

The extent of the impact of the flooding has gradually become clearer in Germany, as the damage to buildings, some of which will be demolished, has been assessed and efforts to restore gas services, electricity and telephone have progressed.

In some areas, soldiers used armored vehicles to clear debris from the streets. At RNW, divers were used to search for homes and submerged vehicles.

Rover Lewentz, Minister of the Interior of Rhineland-Palatinate, said more than 670 people were injured in the state. Across the border in Belgium, the death toll has risen to 27 and several people are still missing.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister Alexander de Croo visited the flooded areas of Rochefort and Pepinster in Belgium on Saturday. “Europe is with you”Von der Leyen tweeted after the visit. “We accompany you in your pain and we will be with you in the reconstruction”.

The disaster had strong political overtones in Germany, which holds general elections on September 26, marking the end of Merkel’s 16 years in power.

Experts say global warming is making extreme weather events more frequent, and candidates seeking to succeed Merkel are calling for more climate action.

Armin Laschet, head of government of the battered state of North Rhine-Westphalia and favorite in the race for chancellor, called for the fight against climate change to be stepped up. But Laschet, the leader of Merkel’s party leading the polls, was recorded laughing on Saturday in the devastated town of Erftstadt.

In the photos, LAschet was seen chatting and laughing in the background as German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his grief to affected families.

“Laschet laughs while the country cries” published the daily Bild. The leader then apologized on Twitter for the moment. “inappropriate”.