Over 60 dead as floods ravage Germany and Belgium

On Jul 16, 2021

GERMANY: At least 60 people have died and as many as 1,300 remain unaccounted as a result of freak flooding in western Germany and Belgium where some areas saw the highest rainfall in more than 100 years.

Two firefighters sent to rescue stranded residents are among the victims after relentless rain engorged rivers, breaking their banks and flooding homes across several states.

The authorities continue battling climactic odds for the rescue operation.

Floods in Germany turned streams into raging torrents as cars were swept away and houses collapsed in the western states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia due to severe inundation.

The floods in Germany also affected neighbouring Belgium, where the Vesdre River spilt over its banks and sent water churning through the streets of Pepinster, near Liege, where a rescue operation by firefighters went wrong when a small boat capsized and three elderly people disappeared.

The Meuse River in Liege, a city with a population of 200,000, also overflowed its banks and authorities urged people to shift to higher ground.

– HINDUSTAN TIMES