The death toll is about to ‘destroy’ the floods in Germany | News in Germany

At least 19 people have died and many are reported missing rain history in western Germany caused rivers to burst at its edges, sweeping houses and floodplains.

Police say four people have been killed and 70 missing Thursday around Ahrweiler’s capital, Rhineland-Palatinate state, after the Ahr River flowing into the Rhine collapsed and demolished 12 homes.

“We have never seen such a tragedy, it is a catastrophe,” Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer told lawmakers.

In the north, in North Rhine-Westphalia, two people were found dead in Cologne floodplains, with Solingen, Unna and Rheinbach dead, police said. On Wednesday night, two firefighters died in the state – one drowned while another fell after being rescued.

About 50 people were trapped on the roof of Ahrweiler, and many homes were in danger of falling into the valley. Police helicopters flew from neighboring countries to take people to safety, Koblenz police said.

Climate experts say the rains in the area 24 hours ago were unprecedented, due to the cold weather that led to heavy rains in the west and in France and the Netherlands.

Heavy rains fell in southwestern Germany, north of the German Rhine, and later on Thursday and Friday, the German Weather Service said.