Deadly flooding in Western Europe

Severe flooding caused by historic rainfall has led to dozens of deaths in western Europe, and many other people remained missing as of Thursday. Torrential rain and flooding has left more than 90 people dead and hundreds others missing in western Europe, with Germany bearing the brunt of the worst natural disaster in living memory. Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland have also been affected by flooding.

Flash floods have swept across western and southern Germany, causing buildings to collapse, police said. At least 50 people have died in Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state, nine of whom were living at an assisted-living facility for people with disabilities. A further 30 people have died in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to local authorities who say the toll could rise further. In Belgium, broadcaster RTBF reported 12 people had died in flooding. It’s one of the worst natural disasters Germany has experienced since the Second World War. Many towns and villages have been flooded following torrential rain. Earlier on Thursday the authorities said that communication, including internet and telephone connections, was restricted with the 112 emergency number “not reachable”. Dozens of people were reported missing after several homes collapsed in the village of Schuld in the Eifel, a volcanic region of rolling hills and small valleys.