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dpa
Dusseldorf
The number of people who have died in the devastating flooding in western Germany continues to rise, with the death toll reaching 117 in the Ahrweiler district in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
At least 749 others were injured, a police spokesperson in Koblenz said on Monday. Many others are missing.
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is in the region on Monday, and will visit a hospital in Ahrweiler. His trip follows a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, during which she promised federal support for the region in its recovery.
Seehofer is to visit emergency forces in North Rhine Westphalia at the Steinbach Dam, which has been at risk of breaking for days.
The fire brigade in the city of Euskirchen, however, countered rumours that the dam had broken and said no cracks were found during an inspection flight by a federal police helicopter.
“Water is still being pumped out and drained,” a spokesperson for the fire brigade told dpa in Dusseldorf. Whether the water level is already beyond the critical mark is to be determined by a final expert assessment on Monday.
As a precaution, parts of the towns of Swisttal and Rheinbach, just below the Steinbach dam on the border with Rhineland-Palatinate, have been evacuated.
The floods last week also struck parts of the neighbouring state of North Rhine Westphalia, killing 46 people.
Across the border in Belgium, over 30 people died.
The weather forecast had welcome news for Germany on Monday. The weather service predicted “only a few rare drops” of rain at the start of the week for the northern half of Germany.
In the southern half, only the area south of the Danube in Bavaria might see isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon.
In Passau, the level of the Danube was 8.18 metres on Monday morning, below the highest flood warning level of 8.50 metres. The situation is still far from catastrophic, a police spokesperson said.
In Berchtesgadener Land district, which was hit particularly hard by storms, residents were able to enjoy a “calm” night, the fire brigade said.
The situation was particularly dramatic in the district at the weekend. The water hit with full force after the Ache river overflowed its banks.
More than 160 people in the holiday region around the Koenigssee lake had to be taken out of their homes for safety.
The floods have restarted a climate debate in Germany and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder has called for more efforts in climate
protection.
Dusseldorf
The number of people who have died in the devastating flooding in western Germany continues to rise, with the death toll reaching 117 in the Ahrweiler district in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
At least 749 others were injured, a police spokesperson in Koblenz said on Monday. Many others are missing.
Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is in the region on Monday, and will visit a hospital in Ahrweiler. His trip follows a visit by Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, during which she promised federal support for the region in its recovery.
Seehofer is to visit emergency forces in North Rhine Westphalia at the Steinbach Dam, which has been at risk of breaking for days.
The fire brigade in the city of Euskirchen, however, countered rumours that the dam had broken and said no cracks were found during an inspection flight by a federal police helicopter.
“Water is still being pumped out and drained,” a spokesperson for the fire brigade told dpa in Dusseldorf. Whether the water level is already beyond the critical mark is to be determined by a final expert assessment on Monday.
As a precaution, parts of the towns of Swisttal and Rheinbach, just below the Steinbach dam on the border with Rhineland-Palatinate, have been evacuated.
The floods last week also struck parts of the neighbouring state of North Rhine Westphalia, killing 46 people.
Across the border in Belgium, over 30 people died.
The weather forecast had welcome news for Germany on Monday. The weather service predicted “only a few rare drops” of rain at the start of the week for the northern half of Germany.
In the southern half, only the area south of the Danube in Bavaria might see isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon.
In Passau, the level of the Danube was 8.18 metres on Monday morning, below the highest flood warning level of 8.50 metres. The situation is still far from catastrophic, a police spokesperson said.
In Berchtesgadener Land district, which was hit particularly hard by storms, residents were able to enjoy a “calm” night, the fire brigade said.
The situation was particularly dramatic in the district at the weekend. The water hit with full force after the Ache river overflowed its banks.
More than 160 people in the holiday region around the Koenigssee lake had to be taken out of their homes for safety.
The floods have restarted a climate debate in Germany and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder has called for more efforts in climate
protection.
