The flood situation in southern Germany is getting worse: after days of persistent rain, emergency workers have to cope with overflowing rivers and streams. Several communities in Bavaria have declared disaster. A firefighter was killed during a rescue operation. Two ICE carriages in Baden-Württemberg. Further showers and thunderstorms may lead to further flooding on Sunday afternoon.
The firefighter in question died in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm (Upper Bavaria). According to police, the Ehrenberg-Pfaffenhofen volunteer fire brigade was called for an operation on Saturday evening around 11 p.m. The flooding left several people trapped in a bungalow. Bayerischer Rundfunk reports this.
Boat capsized
Four emergency services got into a boat to help the people, but it capsized. The 42-year-old man had an accident. The three other emergency services were able to save themselves. His body was recovered around 2am.
Two wagons derailed: 185 passengers were unharmed
After persistent rain in recent days, two wagons of an ICE derailed late on Saturday evening in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Baden-Württemberg. According to a railway spokesperson, the 185 passengers were unharmed in the accident and were removed from the train. Due to flooding in southern Germany, the train was diverted to the route where the accident occurred.
After the landslide, there is currently no longer any long-distance rail service between Stuttgart and Munich. Early on Sunday morning, a railway spokesperson could not estimate how long the route would be interrupted. According to information from Deutsche Bahn, there were already disruptions and train cancellations in train traffic in southern Germany. Due to the flooding, no trains ran all day between Munich, Bregenz and Zurich on Saturday.
Flood of the century in Bavaria
In Bavaria, persistent rain led to water levels that are statistically reached only once every hundred years. On Sunday night, the rivers Günz, Memminger Ach, Kammel, Mindel, Paar and Maisach carried as much water as a once-in-a-century flood. In the northern part of the Upper Bavarian district of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, local authorities fear extreme flooding.
New dangers threaten
The German Weather Service (DWD) said on Saturday that new showers and thunderstorms are coming from the north, which again bring the risk of local flooding, especially on Sunday afternoon. The showers can be heavy and pass only slowly. “If that hits the saturated soil, you will soon have flooding again,” said the meteorologist.
The Swabian Alb and the areas just north of it, as well as the region around Augsburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg and Regensburg, are particularly at risk on Sunday due to rain and thunderstorms. In the Augsburg district, evacuation calls were increased in the evening. Communities along the Schmutter River were particularly affected. An emergency shelter was set up at the Augsburg trade fair.
There were also storms in northern Italy. In Switzerland, heavy rains led to numerous floods, landslides and flooded cellars.
Source: Krone
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