At least 42 dead and dozens missing due to severe weather in the German Eifel

At least 42 dead and dozens missing due to severe weather in the German Eifel

At least 42 people have been killed in various places in Germany as a result of the storm. Fifty to seventy people are also missing in the popular holiday region of the Eifel. Among other things, near the village of Schuld, where several houses have collapsed.

This is reported by the German newspaper Bild. The German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate have been particularly hard hit by rainfall and flooding. For example, in several places, the streets and squares turned into flowing rivers and basements and ground floors of houses were flooded in many villages.

At least four people were killed in the storm in the Ahrweiler region. One of the fatalities, a woman in Heimersheim, allegedly drowned in her basement, regional broadcaster SWR reported. Also in Cologne, according to Bild, a 72-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man died in their flooded cellars.

The newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that two firefighters were killed in the Sauerland region on Wednesday. It concerns a 46-year-old man who had just rescued a victim but ended up in the water and a 52-year-old man who fell while working at a power plant.

According to the police, many people were still trapped on the roof of their houses in the region on Thursday morning, some of which were in danger of collapsing. It would currently be about fifty people, the police write on Twitter.

Rescue operations have been set up in several places, including helicopters. The city of Mayen has also been hit by heavy rainfall and currents. The fire brigade and other emergency services warn of mortal danger.

Just like South Limburg, the Eifel is known for its hills, which rise to almost 750 meters. The vast nature reserve is popular with walkers and cyclists. The Eifel is located next to a piece in Belgium for the most part in the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.

The village of Darnau in Rhineland-Palatinate, located in a valley of the flooded River Ahr, is now completely submerged© DPA/ANP

South of the Eifel, the Nims, a tributary that is normally about two meters wide, has widened to about two hundred meters.

In many places in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate it has rained heavily for more than 24 hours and the situation is critical.

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