Flood drama in NRW: two firefighters die – dead woman discovered on the street

The masses of water in NRW claim numerous deaths. A hospital has to be completely evacuated. Prime Minister Laschet cancels the CSU retreat. The news ticker.

Update from July 15, 11:24 a.m .: NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet canceled the CSU retreat with Markus Söder and instead visited Altena in the morning. A 46-year-old firefighter died there while working in the floods (see first report) . The death toll has now risen to at least 15.

The Union Chancellor candidate * found out about the situation in the district’s control center, as dpa learned from NRW government circles. Then Laschet drove to the city of Hagen, which was particularly hard hit by the storms, to get an idea of the local situation there.

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Update from July 15, 10:57 a.m .: The number of deaths in the flood disaster in North Rhine-Westphalia is already staggering. In Cologne, two people were discovered dead in their basements that were full of water. The fire brigade found the dead woman (72) and the dead man (54) during operations on Thursday night. “In both cases the police have started investigations into the exact cause of death,” said the investigators.

“We are currently aware of eight deaths,” reported the Euskirchen district on Facebook on Thursday. At first, the district did not provide any more precise information – for example, why exactly people died in connection with the storm. In the district the communication had largely failed, it was said. The fire brigade emergency number 112 and the district administration cannot be reached either.

In Rheinbach near Bonn, too, a dead woman was discovered early in the morning on a street. A connection with the storm is likely, said the Bonn police. The dead person has not yet been able to be identified.

Flood in North Rhine-Westphalia: District of Solingen evacuated and closed

Update from July 15, 10:07 a.m .: About 600 people could not spend the night in their apartments because of the flood. The Solingen district of Unterburg is affected. According to OB Tim Kurzbach (SPD), the fire brigade is in constant use. Unterburg was evacuated on Wednesday evening.

It is not yet clear when the households will be supplied with electricity and gas again and the residents will be able to return: “Unterburg remains completely closed until further notice – from the former town hall to the Burger Bahnhof”, Kurzbach shared on Instagram, among other things.

Storm in North Rhine-Westphalia: power failure in clinic in Leverkusen – intensive care unit affected

Update from July 15, 9.23 a.m .: During the storm in North Rhine-Westphalia there is another fatality (see first report) to complain about. A 77-year-old man was killed in the flooded basement of his house in Kamen, the police said on Thursday. There are no indications of third-party negligence, the criminal police are investigating.

Meanwhile, a hospital in Leverkusen has to be completely evacuated. The power supply is disrupted. The flood triggered a short circuit on two transformers. According to the clinic, 468 people are affected. All operations, appointments and interventions have been canceled.

Storm in NRW: floods paralyze electricity in hospital – intensive care unit affected

The emergency power failed during the night, and some stations were without lights. “Some of the medical devices in the intensive care units had to be powered by batteries,” the message said. During the night, 12 children and 15 adult patients were transferred to nearby hospitals. There is no telling when the power supply will be reliable again.

Drama during floods in North Rhine-Westphalia: two firefighters die in action

Our first report from July 15th : Altena / Werdohl – After the heavy storms and continuous rain, the situation in large parts of Germany is tense. Parts of North Rhine-Westphalia were also badly hit. Throughout the night, emergency services fought against the water masses. For two of them, the mission was fatal.

In Altena in the Sauerland, a 46-year-old firefighter died while rescuing a man. He was swept away by the masses of water and drowned. The police in the Märkisches Kreis confirmed this on Wednesday.

Storm in North Rhine-Westphalia: Two firefighters die in action

Just two hours later, the next drama in the same circle. During an operation in the area of the power plant in Werdohl-Elverslingen, only a few kilometers from Altena, a fire fighter collapsed. Despite resuscitation and relief measures, the helper died, the police said. Assume a health emergency.

In Altena – as in many other places – cellars and streets were flooded. The Lenne River, which overflowed its banks, further exacerbated the situation there. The water ran into the city center. Altena was “as good as unreachable,” said the police in the afternoon. Meanwhile, a video showed a spectacular rescue operation by the fire brigade *.

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North Rhine-Westphalia badly hit by storms – evacuations in Wuppertal

In Hückeswagen in the Oberbergisches Kreis, the Bevertalsperre overflowed due to the heavy rainfall. The water is currently running
uncontrolled over the edge of the dam, said a spokesman for the control center early Thursday morning. More than 1000 people had to leave their homes. After enormous rainfall, the authorities in the Bergisches Land feared an uncontrolled overflow of the Wupper dam near Radevormwald. According to a spokesman for the Oberbergischer Kreis control center, fire brigade forces can now drain the water in a controlled manner. For security reasons, the residents of the Wupper in Radevormwald were asked to leave their apartments late in the evening, including with loudspeaker announcements. A care center was set up in a primary school in
Radevormwald furnished.

Several houses and an animal shelter were evacuated in Solingen-Unterburg early Thursday morning due to the flood. The water inflow is currently unabated, as a spokesman for the Wuppertal police headquarters announced. Accordingly, the water is currently being drained by fire fighters, which affects the urban area. The residents could be accommodated in emergency shelters and some with friends.

The situation in the Eifel was also dramatic. Several houses collapsed here. * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubric lists: © Roberto Pfeil / dpa