By Emily Gu

Floods in Germany have caused rivers to overflow their banks, sweep away cars, and homes to collapse. These floods have caused at least 50 deaths and more than 1,000 people are still missing and unaccounted for. This has happened very recently due to the heavy rainfall from storms.

The government in Ahrweiler, which is a district in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, has said 28 people were dead, and as many as 1,300 people are assumed to be missing. Officials in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which neighbors Rhineland-Palatinate, have said at least 30 people lost their lives there.

The storms have also caused deadly flooding in Belgium, where the media has reported 8 to be dead. Luxembourg and the Netherlands experienced similar flooding.

The torrential rains and storms in Germany have stranded people on roofs, where authorities used inflatable boats and helicopters to identify and save the residents. The army has also deployed soldiers to help the operation.

In Ahrweiler, Edgar Gillessen has said the destruction and devastation was “simply catastrophic.”

“All these people living here, I know them all. I feel so sorry for them, they’ve lost everything. All they have is what they have on them – it’s all gone,” Gillessen, 65, had told Reuters. “A friend had a workshop over there, nothing standing. The bakery, the butcher, all gone. It’s scary. Unimaginable.”

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dozens-dead-more-1-000-may-be-missing-after-floods-n1274128