The death toll from devastating floods in Europe soared to at least 108 on Friday, most in western Germany where emergency responders were frantically searching for missing people. Adding to the devastation, several more were feared dead in a landslide in northern Germany on Friday triggered by floods.
Hundreds were unaccounted for in the country, while the death toll in Belgium jumped to 15 with more than 21,000 people left without electricity in one region.
Luxembourg and the Netherlands were also hammered by heavy rains, inundating many areas and forcing thousands to be evacuated in the city of Maastricht.
But Germany was the hardest hit, with unsuspecting residents caught completely off guard by the torrent dubbed the “flood of death” by Germany’s top-selling daily Bild.
“I fear that we will only see the full extent of the disaster in the coming days,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said from Washington late Thursday, where she met with President Joe Biden.
Streets and houses were submerged by water in some areas, while cars were left overturned on soaked streets after flood waters passed. Some districts were completely cut off from the outside world.
In Ahrweiler, several houses collapsed completely, drawing comparisons to the aftermath of a tsunami.
At least 24 people were confirmed dead in Euskirchen, one of the worst-hit towns just to the north.
“My empathy and my heart go out to all of those who in this catastrophe lost their loved ones, or who are still worrying about the fate of people still missing,” Merkel told reporters in Washington.
Adding to the town’s woes, a nearby dam remains at risk of giving way.
The number of casualties in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has reached 43, bringing the national toll to at least 93, authorities said Friday.
Germany’s toll was likely to rise with large numbers of people still missing in NRW and Rhineland-Palatinate, the hardest-hit states.
In other news – Born Again slay queen issues an apology to all men she seduced
Moesha Boduong, a former Ghanaian socialite and actress who is now known as Maurecia Babiinoti Boduong, has apologized to Ghanaians and all of the girls she has introduced to dating wealthy married men.
Repentant Moesha Boduong, who was heard confessing some of the wild things she has done in the past in a recent video surfaced on social media, remorsefully apologized to Ghanaians, stating, “I am sorry Ghana and I apologize for introducing young females to rich married guys.” May God pardon me for my transgressions. Learn more
Source: eNCA
