Eva Deschamps / July 18, 2021
The death toll from the devastating floods has risen to 156 in Germany, police said Sunday morning, bringing the total death toll from the bad weather in Western Europe to at least 183. Belgium is the second most affected country, with 27 deaths according to the latest official count
On Sunday morning, the number of victims of the bad weather in the German district of Ahrweiler alone, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, rose to 110. This is 12 more than the 98 announced on Saturday evening.
The death and injury toll could rise further. According to the police, there are still 670 people missing. In several villages, there is still no electricity or telephone reception. Many roads in the Ahr Valley are still blocked.
The Ahrweiler district includes the hard-hit town of Schuld, where houses were destroyed by the floodwaters.
One person also died in floods in southern Germany, in Bavaria on the Austrian border, where heavy rains also fell on Saturday.
In Austria, firefighters are on alert in the Salzburg and Tyrol regions, while the old town of Hallein is under water.
Heavy rain and storms are unfortunately causing severe damage in several places in Austria, tweeted Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz.
Finally, further east, on the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, rivers also rose in the German region of Saxony on Saturday evening, causing damage.