Floods in Europe Leave 153 Dead
The death toll in Europe rises to 154 victims, including 133 in Germany. Moreover, dozens go missing as the floods continue to sweep several European countries due to unprecedented heavy rains.
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Floods continue to sweep through parts of Europe, especially western Germany
The death toll in Europe, especially in Germany, has risen today, Saturday, scoring at least 133 victims, as the local police said, bringing the total death toll in Europe to 153.
The police in the city of Koblenz said that “according to current information, 90 people died in the disaster” in Rhineland-Palatinate, one of the hardest-hit regions.
The flood disaster in western Germany, Belgium and part of the Netherlands is taking on increasingly dramatic proportions. By midday Friday, the death toll in the German regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia had risen to 106, with mor https://t.co/jAGE9Ollgu
— World Socialist Web Site (@WSWS_Updates) July 17, 2021
#BREAKING: Severe flooding and landslides hit Sauerland area of German state of North Rhine-Westphalia; firefighter confirmed dead in Altena: WDR broadcaster pic.twitter.com/c0bgGpV4s5
— I.E.N. (@BreakingIEN) July 14, 2021
Moreover, 43 people died in North Rhine-Westphalia, a German state severely hit by the storm, while Belgium counted 20 dead.
The outcome is still preliminary, with many people still missing in western Germany and Belgium, which raises the fear that human casualties may increase over the next few hours.
Local authorities said that "there is a fear that the number of victims will likely keep rising in the coming days.”
Sixty-three people perished in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, including 12 residents of an assisted living facility for disabled people in the town of Sinzig who were surprised by a sudden rush of water from the nearby Ahr River.
— WIBW (@wibw) July 17, 2021
https://t.co/zV0J7pcwYD
Unprecedented heavy rain hit Germany and Belgium hard on the 14th and 15th of July, causing sudden floods that swept inhabited areas and destroyed several neighborhoods.
Heavy rainfall also battered parts of Luxembourg and the Netherlands, but no casualties were reported.
Cars are piled up in Verviers, Belgium after the heavy rains lashed Western Europe. The worst flooding has been in Rhineland-Palatinate & North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, where at least 44 people have been killed & at least 70 people are missing.6 died in Belgium pic.twitter.com/AJm0EhY8Vd
— John O'Brien MBE (@Johnwritlarge) July 16, 2021
"I fear that we will only see the full extent of the disaster in the coming days," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday.
“I grieve for those who have lost their lives in this disaster,” she added, expressing shock at the scope of the flooding in western Germany.
France sent a helicopter and a rescue team to participate in the rescue operations in Liege, Belgium, while Italy and Austria expressed their willingness to cooperate within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
