Berlin: Death toll from devastating floods in Western Europe The death toll from devastating floods in Western Europe rose to more than 180 on Sunday. Rescuers are searching for people trapped under the rubble after the floodwaters receded. Police put the death toll in the flood-hit Ahrweiler region in western Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state at more than 110. He said the death toll was expected to rise further. In Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 45 people have been confirmed dead, four of whom are firefighters.
At the same time, 27 people were confirmed dead in Belgium. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to visit the village of Salud near Ahrweiler by Sunday evening. Earlier on Saturday, the President had reached the area and made a commitment to provide long-term assistance. Rain has stopped in hard-hit areas of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, but thunderstorms and rain are continuing in parts of western and central Europe. The German-Czech border area and the southeastern region of Germany and the border with Austria were flooded on Saturday night.
65 people were rescued but at least one person died in the Berchtesgaden area after the water level in Germany’s Aach river rose. Climate scientists say that the relationship between dangerous weather conditions and an increase in temperature is not wrong and there is a need to take immediate steps to deal with climate change. Scientists said they could not say with immediate certainty that climate change caused the floods, but stressed that the alarming weather conditions observed around the world certainly point to it.
