BERLIN:
The death toll from devastating floods in Europe soared to at least 108 on Friday, most in western Germany where emergency responders were frantically searching for missing people.
Adding to the devastation, several more were feared dead in a landslide in northern Germany on Friday triggered by floods.
Hundreds were unaccounted for in the country, while the death toll in Belgium jumped to 15 with more than 21,000 people left without electricity in one region.
Luxembourg and the Netherlands were also hammered by heavy rains, inundating many areas and forcing thousands to be evacuated in the city of Maastricht.
But Germany was the hardest hit, with unsuspecting residents caught completely off guard by the torrent dubbed the "flood of death" by Germany's top-selling daily Bild.
"I fear that we will only see the full extent of the disaster in the coming days," Chancellor Angela Merkel said from Washington late Thursday, where she met with President Joe Biden.
Joerg Asmussen, managing director of the German Insurance Association (GDV), said the prevalence of storms, floods, heavy rain and hail in Germany this year could make it one of the most damaging since 2013.
Heavy rain and hail in June caused an estimated insurance loss of 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion), he said by email.
It takes time and scientific analysis to determine whether a specific meteorological event is linked to climate change. Though the intense precipitation seen in west Germany in July does have precedence, it’s not common, said Frederic Nathan, a forecaster with Meteo-France.said.
“Global warming tends to bring more extreme precipitations,” he said. “We have seen five or six cold spells since the beginning of June, which is something quite rare for this time of the year that we have certainly not seen in recent times,” he said.
Streets and houses were submerged by water in some areas, while cars were left overturned on soaked streets after flood waters passed. Some districts were completely cut off from the outside world.
In Ahrweiler, several houses collapsed completely, drawing comparisons to the aftermath of a tsunami.
At least 24 people were confirmed dead in Euskirchen, one of the worst-hit towns just to the north.
"My empathy and my heart go out to all of those who in this catastrophe lost their loved ones, or who are still worrying about the fate of people still missing," Merkel told reporters in Washington.
Adding to the town's woes, a nearby dam remains at risk of giving way.
The number of casualties in North Rhine-Westphalia has reached 43, bringing the national toll to at least 93, authorities said Friday.