Severe flooding in southern Germany claims four lives, forces thousands to evacuate

Heavy rainfall over the past three days caused severe flooding in southern Germany, resulting in the deaths of at least four people and forcing the evacuation of around 3 000 residents.

Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Germany, over the past 72 hours, resulting in the deaths of at least four people and the evacuation of approximately 3 000 residents.

Across the state of Bavaria, approximately 40 000 emergency personnel are being mobilized as several dams collapsed and numerous streams and rivers burst their banks, inundating entire towns and villages.

Local officials said a dam on the Paar River – a tributary of the Danube — in the Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm district of Bavaria has suffered three breaches, forcing more than 1 000 people from Reichertshofen, Baar-Ebenhausen, and Manchingto to evacuate. The district council said that around 4 000 emergency workers and Bundeswehr soldiers were active in the district.

A dyke and a dam broke in Diedorf, exacerbating the flooding situation. Although the floodwaters are now slowly receding and water levels are falling, authorities remain cautious.

Philipp Niegl, the local fire brigade commander, highlighted that despite improved equipment since the 2021 flood in the Ahr valley, the situation remains critical. Niegl, who volunteers as a fire brigade commander while also working as a vocational school teacher, emphasized the importance of the new supply truck capable of navigating deep water, which played a crucial role in transporting many people to safety.

An underground car park was completely flooded in Diedorf, Bavaria, as were the cellars of surrounding houses. The German Federal Agency for Technical Relief is currently on-site, using a special device to pump out the brown sludge at a rate of 10 000 liters per minute.

A long-distance train derailed near the town of Schwäbisch Gmünd in the Baden-Württemberg region due to a landslide.

Rescue workers found two bodies in the basement of a building in Schorndorf, located in the Rems-Murr district northeast of Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. This incident brought the total number of confirmed deaths to four. Additionally, on Monday, the body of a 43-year-old woman was discovered in the cellar of a building in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria.

Over the weekend, a 42-year-old firefighter lost his life when his rescue boat capsized in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Bavaria. His body was recovered early on Sunday, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the Bavarian town of Pfaffenbach an der Ilm, situated approximately 50 km (30 miles) north of Munich.

The flooding has caused significant disruption and damage, with emergency services continuing their efforts to manage the situation and assist affected residents. While the immediate threat of rising water levels appears to be subsiding, the full extent of the damage and long-term impact remains to be assessed.

References:

¹ Floods in southern Germany: 40 hours of disaster – DW – June 2, 2024

² Germany floods: Scholz visits hard-hit areas – DW – June 3, 2024

³ A possible dam burst is looming on the Paar river at 12:52 – ASB Zeitung – June 2, 2024

Featured image credit: Der Standard (stillshot)