Toll from flooding in Europe climbs over 180, rescue ops on
Fatalities in western Europe from heavy rain and flashfloods rise up to 180, feared to keep climbing, as rescuers dig deeper
BERLIN: The death toll from flooding in Western Europe climbed above 180 on Sunday after rescue workers dug deeper into debris left by receding waters. Heavy rain fueled new floods in southeastern Germany and Austria.
Although rain has stopped in the worst-affected areas of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, storms and downpours have persisted in other parts of western and central Europe.
Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to visit Schuld, a village near Ahrweiler that was devastated by the flooding, later Sunday.
Climate scientists say the link between extreme weather and global warming is unmistakable and the urgency to do something about climate change undeniable.
BERLIN: The death toll from the massive flooding across western Europe climbed above 180 on Sunday after rescue workers dug deeper into debris left by receding waters.
Police put the toll from the hard-hit Ahrweiler area of western Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state at more than 110 and said they feared the number may still rise.
In neighbouring North Rhine-Westphalia, which is Germany’s most populous state, 45 people were confirmed dead, including four firefighters. And Belgium has confirmed 27 casualties.
German chancellor, president make visits
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was due to visit Schuld, a village near Ahrweiler that was devastated by the flooding, later on Sunday. Her visit comes after Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier went to the area on Saturday and made clear that it will need long-term support.
Finance minister Olaf Scholz said he will propose a package of immediate aid at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, telling the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that more than 300 million euros ($354 million) will be needed. He also said that officials must start setting up a rebuilding programme which, from experience with previous flooding, will be in the billions of euros.
Although rain has stopped in the worst-affected areas of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, storms and downpours have persisted in other parts of western and central Europe. There was flooding on Saturday night in the German-Czech border area, across the country from where last week’s floods hit, and in Germany’s southeastern corner and over the border in Austria.
Some 65 people were evacuated in Germany’s Berchtesgaden area after the Ache River swelled. At least one person was killed. A flashflood swept through the nearby Austrian town of Hallein late on Saturday, but there were no reports of casualties.
Heavy rain and storms caused serious damage in several parts of Austria as well, although no fatalities have been reported as of now
Climate scientists say the link between extreme weather and global warming is unmistakable and the urgency to do something about the climate crisis undeniable.
Scientists can’t yet say for sure whether climate change caused the flooding, but they insist that it certainly exacerbates the extreme weather that has been on show around the world.
German candidate sorry for being seen laughing
The frontrunner to succeed Merkel in Germany’s September election has apologised for news that he was seen laughing in the background as the country’s president delivered a statement on the devastating floods in western Germany.
Armin Laschet, the candidate of Merkel’s centre-right Union bloc to be Germany’s next leader, is also the governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state - one of two badly hit by last week’s floods.
Dramatic rescue effort
On Saturday, he visited the town of Erfstadt, which was the scene of a dramatic rescue effort after the ground gave way, with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
While Steinmeier gave a statement to reporters after the visit, Laschet and a group of others stood in the background. Photos showed him turning to someone else and laughing.
Lars Klingbeil, the general secretary of the centre-left Social Democrats, told Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper that Laschet’s behaviour was “lacking in decency and appalling”. “They say that people’s character shows in times of crisis,” he added.
Laschet took to Twitter on Saturday evening to explain himself and thank Steinmeier for his visit.
“The fate of those affected, which we heard about in many conversations, is important to us,” he wrote. “So I regret all the more the impression that arose from a conversational situation. That was inappropriate and I am sorry.”
The Union bloc currently leads polls ahead of the environmentalist Greens, with the Social Democrats in third place. The election is on September 26.