Mayen, Germany — Heavy rains and floods lashing western Europe have killed at least 42 people in Germany and left many more missing, as rising waters led several houses to collapse on Thursday. Unusually heavy rains also inundated neighboring Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium, where at least four people were reported dead. At least 18 bodies were recovered in the region around the western town of Ahrweiler alone, a police spokesman told AFP. In the city of Leverkusen, a power outage triggered by the storms led to the evacuation of a hospital with 468 patients. Officials also closed off several roads including the busy A2 highway, while fears remained that water from heavy rains in Germany and Belgium would push up river levels as it reached the Netherlands.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 15, 2021 13:07 UTC