In Erftstadt in North Rhine-Westphalia, cars and trucks were surprised by the water on a federal highway. It is unclear whether all drivers were able to escape. So far, more than 130 dead have been found in the flood areas.
– The Bundeswehr has started to rescue vehicles on the flooded Bundesstrasse 265 near Erftstadt in North Rhine-Westphalia. People have not yet been discovered in the cars and trucks, said the fire department of the city of Erftstadt.
Numerous vehicles on the B265 had been flooded. A spokeswoman for the Rhein-Erft district said on Friday that it was unclear whether all occupants had made it out of their vehicles in time when they were surprised by the masses of water. The Bundeswehr now also uses armored vehicles for the rescue.
In some places of the devastating flood, the water is now slowly receding – but the number of deaths continues to rise. On Saturday morning, more than 90 deaths were reported from the flood hotspot Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate alone. It is to be feared that there will be more deaths, the police said. The authority speaks of 618 injured – but this number could also increase. Even two days after the accident, people are still missing.
So far more than 130 fatalities have been found
With the latest figures from Rhineland-Palatinate, the total number of fatalities in the flood disaster in western Germany rises to more than 130. 43 deaths were recently reported from North Rhine-Westphalia, which was also badly hit.
Among the dead in Rhineland-Palatinate are twelve residents of a facility for people with intellectual disabilities in Sinzig. “The water reached the ceiling of the first floor within a minute,” said Matthias Mandos, the managing director of the Landesverband der Lebenshilfe Rhineland-Palatinate. The night watch still managed to bring several residents to the first floor of the dormitory. “When he wanted to get the next one, he was already too late.”
Dam of the Rur broken in the Heinsberg district
The flood situation in Wassenberg in North Rhine-Westphalia in the Heinsberg district is still tense. After a dam on the Rur broke, the district of Ophoven is partially under water. Around 700 residents of Ophoven on the border with the Netherlands had to leave their homes during the night. The city appealed for anyone who was unable to leave their home on their own to ask for help via a hotline.
Most recently there was talk of a “stagnating water level”. Nevertheless, it is still dangerous to be in the area, warned a fire department spokesman.
The Rur has its source in the Eifel and flows into the Meuse near Roermond in the Netherlands. According to WDR, Wassenberg’s mayor, Marcel Maurer (CDU), sees a possible reason for the dam breach on the Dutch side: there, lock flaps have been closed, so that the water masses have backed up.
According to the early warning forecast of the State Office for the Environment Rhineland-Palatinate, the risk of flooding has recently decreased in Rhineland-Palatinate. In many localities, however, the electricity and telephone network continued to fail. According to the presidium, the police were on duty with many emergency services in the affected localities during the night.
Due to the storm, many roads in the Ahr Valley are still closed or no longer passable. The train traffic in Rhineland-Palatinate is still massively impaired due to the flooding.
Steinmeier visits flood hotspot in North Rhine-Westphalia
While Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning an early visit to the heavily devastated region in Rhineland-Palatinate, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is expected on Saturday in the Rhein-Erft district in North Rhine-Westphalia. According to the Office of the Federal President, Steinmeier visits the Corona hotspot Erftstadt together with NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet. He wants to get an idea of the current situation in the fire brigade control center and talk to rescue workers.
Prime Minister Laschet recently spoke of a “flood disaster of historic proportions”. His colleague from Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer (SPD), called the situation “still extremely tense in our state”. She added in Trier: “The suffering never ends.” Dpa
