Race to reach survivors as hundreds still missing
Huge rescue effort under way after floods continue to wreak havoc across western Europe
SCORES of volunteers and rescue workers were yesterday trawling through the wreckage of the flooding in western Germany, in a desperate search for their missing neighbours and loved ones.
As many as 1,300 people remained missing last night in the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate alone, after heavy rainfall led to ferocious flooding across swathes of Europe this week, killing more than 150 people.
The exact number of people unaccounted for is still unknown. Many phone networks have been damaged, but some locals have managed to find their loved ones through intermittent reception. “That’s how we found friends who couldn’t make it [out],” Aaron Löhr, 22, said.
“Solidarity, that’s what we have here,” he added. “That is also the most important thing.”
“Everything is in ruins,” another middle-aged resident told the local Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper, with tears in his eyes, as he stood by wreckage of the destroyed house he, until recently, lived in with his wife.
More than 22,000 emergency services are working on rescue operations in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the state government. “Anything is possible. We do not know what we will find in the cellars,” a fire department section head said.
Damaged phone networks and electricity lines, along with blocked roads, have fuelled hopes that survivors are safe but have been unable to contact their family and friends.
The search for missing persons has proved complex, despite help from the military. Streets washed and torn away, along with unstable buildings still in danger of collapse, make it difficult to rescue and search for anyone.
Nevertheless, many locals have helped. Renato Yez, a 54-year-old lorry driver from Niederzissen, saved a woman’s life after he heard her cries for help and helped emergency workers to pull her out of the water, local media reports.
Elsewhere, a dramatic video emerged in which a fireman is seen swept away by rapidly flowing flood water, before being rescued by a group of local residents of all ages who rush in to help.
At least 11 military helicopters were yesterday still working to rescue people who have climbed on top of their houses and are now stuck there. While 850 soldiers are using armoured vehicles, boats and ambulances to carry out rescue operations.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has scheduled a visit to the floodaffected areas in Rhineland-Palatinate for Sunday.
In the meantime, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier went to visit the Rhein-Erft-Kreis district, which was badly affected by the flooding, on Saturday. Upon arrival, he said the flood disaster is “beyond our imagination”.
Mr Steinmeier also expressed his condolences to relatives of those who died. “Your fate tears our hearts apart,” he said. “The greatest loss has to be borne by those who have lost relatives.”
The situation in western Germany remains critical. The Rur dam in Ophoven, in the Heinsberg region, broke late on Friday night, according to the Cologne district government, and around 700 inhabitants of Ophoven were evacuated by rescue workers. Many struggled to leave their belongings and animals behind, according to Germany’s Spiegel magazine.
Further evacuations are planned near the Steinbachtalsperre dam, where high water levels continue to apply pressure.
In memory of the victims, the flags on numerous buildings in North RhineWestphalia will fly at half-mast until tomorrow.