Severe flooding causes chaos in Germany

At least nine people have died in parts of western Germany amid heavy rains and flooding, local police said on Thursday. Some 70 people were missing, many of them after the collapse of six houses in Germany’s western state of Rhineland-Palatinate following hours of torrential rain. About 25 more buildings in the Schuld region were at the risk of caving in, local police said.

Heavy rains lashed western Germany on Wednesday, causing massive property damage and prompting mass evacuations. Several motorways were closed. Rhineland-Palatinate’s Vulkaneifel district was forced to declare a state of emergency as several areas were not accessible due to the torrential rain. "The situation is very serious, we have many flooded roads and villages that are no longer accessible," District Administrator Julia Gieseking said from the town of Daun late Wednesday. She said the state of emergency would allow the military to join relief efforts. The German Army sent over 230 soldiers and heavy machinery to help clear streets affected by flooding.