"Such a Disaster in a Lifetime"... Sighs Everywhere Due to Torrential Rain Striking Western Europe

Residents in the flood-affected areas of Belgium are moving by rubber boats. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Recent record-breaking heavy rains in Western Europe have caused at least 150 deaths, with thousands still missing and their whereabouts unknown.

On the 17th (local time), the Associated Press reported that flooding caused by heavy rains from the 14th to 15th in Western Europe, including Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, has resulted in over 150 fatalities.

German police announced that more than 90 people died due to flooding in Arweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate, in the western part of the country, and additional casualties are feared. Furthermore, 43 people lost their lives in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

In Belgium, at least 20 people have died from the floods as of this day. Rescue operations to find missing persons in the flooded areas are ongoing.

Besides the confirmed deaths, many are still missing, which could increase the damage. Local authorities reported that in the village of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate, the whereabouts of 1,300 people remain unknown.

However, authorities explained that the lack of confirmation is due to communication outages. A senior official in the area told local media, "It appears that 40 to 60 people are still missing," adding, "The death toll is expected to continue rising over the next few days."

Heavy military equipment is being deployed for recovery operations in the western region of Germany, where heavy rain has poured.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the record-breaking heavy rains that struck western Germany were filled with the sighs and cries of citizens who lost their homes. A resident of the village of Rheinbach said in an interview with BBC on the 15th, "People are sitting and crying after losing their homes and cars." He especially mentioned that a girl he knew drowned and that his grandfather had never seen such a flood in his lifetime.

According to the BBC, the Schult area near Eifel saw buildings destroyed and cars swept away by the floods. The streets were filled with mud and debris. Marlena Wichmann, a 76-year-old resident of the area, said she was shocked for the first time since experiencing a terrible flood in 1910.

She told SWR, "Everything was destroyed and swept away. It's a disaster," pointing to places tangled with mud, broken trees, and debris where tennis courts and houses once stood.

Residents near the Heimerzheim area told Deutsche Welle that "there were only a few minutes to escape the sudden flash flood that occurred early on the 15th."

Volunteer firefighter Thorsten Clemens said, "I have never seen water rise this quickly," adding, "It was unsafe for people to drive their cars, and it was impossible for fire trucks to approach to rescue people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.