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Deadly flooding in Europe

By Eliza Mackintosh, CNN

Updated 8:01 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

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8:01 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

Here's the latest on the severe flooding in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands

Homeowners push mud and water out of their house after flooding in Angleur, Belgium, on Friday July 16, 2021. (Valentin Bianchi/AP)

Recovery and rescue efforts continue in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands following severe flooding in those regions.

Here are the latest developments from each country:

Belgium

Paying their respects: The country will hold a national day of mourning for flood victims on July 20, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced on Friday, saying the country stands “shoulder to shoulder” with one another.
Coming to help: More than 150 rescue workers from France, Italy and Austria are in Belgium “providing emergency assistance to people affected by the catastrophic floods,” the European Commission (EC) said in a statement.
Death toll rises: The death toll in Belgium stands at 20, and could grow, Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said Friday at a news conference.

Germany

Travel delays: Flood damage in the states of North Rhine Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate is severely affecting train travel in Germany, according to Germany’s rail service Deutsche Bahn.
Infrastructure fails: A dam along the river Rur in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia broke Friday night, according to the regional government. Officials have started the evacuation of about 700 residents in the Ophoven neighborhood of the city of Wassenberg.
Support on the way: Germany has deployed 850 soldiers to assist with its disaster relief effort after severe flooding left at least 105 people dead in two western states, the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, tweeted Friday.
Official visit: Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit the Rhein-Erft-Kreis district of North Rhine-Westphalia state on Saturday after it was hit by severe flooding, a statement released by his office said Friday.
Grim milestone: At least 105 people have died in Germany and hundreds are still missing, authorities said Friday. ''We fear that the number of fatalities could rise over the next few days," Ulrich Sopart, a police spokesperson in the city of Koblenz, told CNN.
Sending aid: The German Football Association (DFB) and the German Football League (DFL) have pledged 3 million euros — or about $3.5 million — to aid floods victims in their country.
Eyes on the horizon: The regions impacted by the devastating flash floods in Germany will see ''much better weather in the coming days,'' the German weather service Deutscher Wetterdienst told CNN Friday.

A residential area is flooded in Brommelen, Netherlands, on July 16. (Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP/Getty Images)

The Netherlands

Precautionary measures: A hospital in the Dutch town of Venray, including 200 patients, will be evacuated because of a flood risk, the safety authority for North Limburg said on Friday.
Shelter in place: A hole has formed in the dike (or embankment) alongside the Juliana Canal in the Dutch province of South Limburg, and the regional safety authority has warned residents to urgently close all windows and doors as “there is no more time to leave the house.”
Return home: Many residents in the Netherlands’ Limburg province have been allowed to return home Friday morning, after tens of thousands were told to evacuate overnight as the Meuse River — or “Maas” in Dutch — approached its high-water mark.

6:42 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

Germany rail service warns of delays and cancellations due to flood damage

From CNN’s Susanna Capelouto

Flood damage in the states of North Rhine Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate is severely affecting train travel in Germany, according to Germany’s rail service Deutsche Bahn.

It is warning people to avoid the region over the weekend as many trains have been canceled or will be severely delayed.

“Please delay your travel plans from and to North Rhine Westphalia by a few days,” Deutsche Bahn said on its website.

Passengers are also asked to expect a lot more travelers on the trains that are still operating.

Tickets valid through Monday can be used later or refunded, officials said.

5:35 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

Dam breaks in German state hit by severe flooding

From CNN’s Susanna Capelouto

A dam along the river Rur in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia broke Friday night, according to the regional government.

Officials have started the evacuation of about 700 residents in the Ophoven neighborhood of the city of Wassenberg.

Officials still fear more dams can break and are closely monitoring reservoirs in the region.

5:03 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

More than 800 German soldiers deployed for disaster relief

From CNN's Sarah Dean in London

Germany has deployed 850 soldiers to assist with its disaster relief effort after severe flooding left at least 105 people dead in two western states, the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, tweeted Friday.

The Bundeswehr said 709 soldiers were deployed in 20 districts in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, before updating the figure to 850 later on Friday.

"Together with civilian helpers, the technical relief organization, fire brigades, we are pooling all available forces," the Bundeswehr said.

Federal Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said she had spoken with her French counterpart Florence Parly who also "offered help from the French military."

"I have ordered that missions not directly related to foreign deployments go to the end of the queue," Kramp-Karrenbauer tweeted.

"The priority of the Federal Armed Forces is now disaster relief. We are providing active assistance with emergency response & clearance work in the affected areas."

3:56 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

Residents of German town fearful nearby dams may collapse, official says

From CNN’s Sarah Dean

Residents fill bags with sand to protect against flooding on July 16 in Erftstadt, Germany. (Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images)

Locals in a German town badly hit by the severe flooding in North Rhine-Westphalia state are living in fear that nearby dams will collapse, a member of parliament for the state told CNN on Friday.

Speaking from the town of Erftstadt, Ralph Bombis of the Free Democratic Party told CNN’s Julia Chatterley the “biggest concern at the moment” are the water reservoirs and dams in the area.

“A lot of people have lost a lot but at the moment the rain has stopped so we hope the situation will calm down but there's still the big water reservoirs in the area and dams,” Bombis said.

“We hope that the damage at the dams will not be too bad,” he added. “There’s a dam south of here that is 1.2 million cubic meters of water so we really hope that the damage is not big at this dam.”

“This is the biggest concern in this area. People are putting the sandbags in front of their houses. It's a strange kind of situation where you wait and hope that nothing is going to happen anymore but still people are afraid that it might happen,” Bombis said.

The politician described how people who had decided to stay in their homes then saw their homes partly washed away last night. “Other houses, the basements flooded, everything was gone within minutes," he said.

3:23 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

German president to visit one of regions hit hardest by severe flooding

From CNN's Nadine Schmidt in Berlin

Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks at Bellevue Palace in Berlin on July 16. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance/Getty Images)

Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit the Rhein-Erft-Kreis district of North Rhine-Westphalia state on Saturday after it was hit by severe flooding, a statement released by his office said Friday.

Together with Armin Laschet, the state premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, he will assess the destruction of the area and meet with rescue workers to hear more about relief efforts.

2:12 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

Belgium will hold national day of mourning for flood victims

From CNN's James Frater and Amy Cassidy

Belgium will hold a national day of mourning for flood victims on July 20, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced on Friday, saying the country stands “shoulder to shoulder” with one another.

At least 20 people have died in Belgium in floods that have also hit Germany, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

“It will be a moment to reflect on the great human loss, it will also be a moment to show solidarity, to show closeness, to show solidarity, to show friendship,” De Croo said, speaking at a news conference. “What were meant to be beautiful summer days suddenly turned into dark and extremely sad days for a high number of our fellow citizens.”

De Croo said that these “may be the most catastrophic floods our country has ever seen.”

The Belgian army is continuing with search and rescue operations with many people still stranded in their homes without electricity, along with support from the Netherlands, Luxembourg Germany, France, Italy and Austria.

“The situation is changing by the minute, and remains extremely critical in many places,” said De Croo. “The victims are the priority, rescuing is the priority, and care. All possible means are mobilized.”

He continued:

"The festivities of our national holiday on July 21 will also take place in a more limited format. I think that is understandable at a time when so many people will still be in great difficulty, and it also makes sense since a large part of the equipment at that time will still be fully deployed at the scene of the catastrophe.
"At a time like this it is good to see solidarity from all over the country is shown towards those affected. The services of professional aid workers, also of volunteers. We also see spontaneous actions of solidarity everywhere: providing food, clothing and other materials.
"These are all signs that at a time like this, at a time of severe setbacks, we stand shoulder to shoulder in our country.
"I realize it is impossible to make up for the great loss, but what we can do today is help each other as best we can at this particularly difficult moment.
"The government will also do everything possible to ensure that affected families and municipalities can be supported as best as possible.”

12:43 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

Death toll in Germany reaches 105 as hundreds remain missing

From CNN's Schams Elwazer

At least 105 people have died in Germany following torrential rainfalls that swept through the country, hundreds are still missing, authorities said Friday. The Europe-wide death toll now stands at 125.

The death toll in Rhineland-Palatinate has risen to at least 62, Ulrich Sopart, a police spokesperson in the city of Koblenz, told CNN. ''We fear that the number of fatalities could rise over the next few days.''

Police also say that at least 362 people have been injured. As many as 1,300 people were still unaccounted for – mainly as a result of phone lines being down – but officials now say they expect those numbers to be revised down.

The interior ministry in Germany's most populous state populous state of North-Rhine Westphalia told CNN that the number of at least 43 deaths has not gone up from earlier Friday. Interior Ministry spokesperson Leonie Möllmann said the ministry is not providing numbers on injured or missing people at the moment.

In Belgium, there are conflicting reports regarding the death toll, with officials giving slightly differing numbers but all agreeing that the number is likely to rise.

“Twenty victims are confirmed dead, and 19 people have not been found yet, but clearly this number could grow in the coming hours,” Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said Friday at a news conference.

Earlier Friday, the acting mayor of Liege Christine Defraigne said at least 22 people had died and that “we are afraid to discover more and more.”

She told Sky News that “we know the coming days are full of grieving.”

12:18 p.m. ET, July 16, 2021

Dutch authorities inspect broken embankment and ask residents to leave their houses

From CNN’s Mick Krever in London

Authorities in the Netherlands are inspecting a broken embankment along the Juliana Canal in the province of Limburg, according to a safety authority spokesperson speaking with national broadcaster NOS.

The safety authorities for South Limburg have changed their guidance for residents to shelter at home, and have now asked them to leave their houses, according to a statement on their website.

The spokesperson told NOS that they would use the inspection of the embankment to determine whether an emergency reparation was needed, and if so, how to carry it out.