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Unimaginable tragedy in Germany with 103 dead and 1.300 missing (VIDEO-IMAGES)

"Something like this happens once in 100 years" - The efforts of rescue teams are superhuman

Screenshot 2021 07 16 134003 Germany, FLOOD

Failing to estimate the extent of the devastation caused by heavy rains and flash floods that have flooded many parts of western Germany, rescuers are making superhuman efforts to free civilians who have taken refuge in trees or apartment buildings. The dead exceed 103 with the missing reaching 1.300.

Rescuers are fighting over time to free any survivors. In areas where rescue teams do not have access, soldiers and helicopters are assisting. Through social media, many residents who have found shelter on the roofs of houses, call for help.

However, according to officials in the two German states hit hard by the deadly floods - North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate - the German authorities can not have a clear picture of the scale of the disaster: the situation remains confusing. concerns the number of missing and dead.

Experts warn that heavy rains will continue in the coming hours, mainly in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, according to the German newspaper "Bild". Fifty people have lost their lives in this state. Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Minister Roger Leventz explains why the number of missing has skyrocketed in recent hours: "When rescuers enter basements or cellars, they find dozens of bodies. For this reason we can not yet have a clear picture of the situation. But this is a disaster. "The situation is dramatic," he said.

Large landslide in the area of ​​Cologne

Many people lost their lives and others are missing after a landslide caused by heavy rains this morning swept away homes in the Erstad-Blessem community near Cologne. "Houses were swept away by the water and some collapsed. "Many people are missing," according to a tweet from community authorities in the Cologne region. A spokesman said there were also a large number of confirmed deaths.

Images from the site of the disaster show a giant crater where huge amounts of mud, muddy water and debris have accumulated.

"Appeals are coming from homes, but often help is not possible," explained local authorities in the area, 40km from Cologne.

Because the catastrophe happened

The extreme weather phenomena that knocked on the door of Germany are trying to explain the experts, as they failed to estimate the magnitude of the disaster based on the computer models they have for weather forecasting. According to the German newspaper "Die Welt", the intense storms with heavy rains combined with climate change led to the untold tragedy that has plunged the locomotive of the Eurozone into mourning.

https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1415815607531057154

Leading climate scientist Florian Imperi cites his own version: "For several days now, there has been a very intense and demarcated area of ​​high pressure in Eastern Europe and Asia. "As a result, the low-pressure areas of the North Atlantic moved relatively quickly in Germany and were trapped there," he said. "What happened is very rare, it happens once in 100 years."

Avoid the affected areas warns the Koblenz police

For their part, the police of Kobenz - the third largest city in the Rhineland - Palatinate, warn citizens to avoid the affected areas. Many have no news of relatives or have homes in the affected areas and want to see up close the damage they have suffered.

"Please do not drive to disaster-prone areas in search of relatives or personal belongings."… "Otherwise, you are putting yourself in danger and possibly hindering the work of rescue teams!" Avoid the area! "

Source: Protothema.gr