Several people in the town of Erftstadt, southwest of Cologne, died after their houses collapsed due to subsidence.
Photographer: Rhein-Erft-Kreis/Cologne District Government/AP Photo
Dramatic Photos of Germany’s Worst Flooding in Decades Capture Devastation
Heavy rains also swamped parts of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium as politicians and scientists warned that global warming would bring more extreme weather.
Heavy rains and floods are wreaking havoc in central Europe, with more than 100 dead in Germany and hundreds of people unaccounted for as houses collapsed and roads and bridges were destroyed. The scenes underscore the dangers of more extreme weather wrought by climate change, even to some of the world’s most advanced economies.
The devastation struck the same week that European Union leaders proposed the most ambitious package of climate measures ever attempted by a major economy. While Germany was hardest hit, heavy rains Wednesday night and into Thursday also swamped parts of Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium.