The case is being updated.
The area with 130,000 inhabitants is located north of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The district authorities state that the mobile network is down, and that it is therefore not possible to get hold of many people.
– We hope to get clarity in this, the spokesperson said about the high number of missing.
Several deaths were also reported in the update on Thursday night, but an exact number was not given.
Rescue workers, including firefighters, police officers and soldiers, have been deployed, and in the town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler alone, there were more than 1,000 ongoing rescue missions as of Thursday morning, according to the authorities.
All schools will remain closed until Friday, and about 3,500 have been evacuated.
Death rates are rising
National authorities stated earlier Thursday night that at least 59 people have lost their lives in the flood in the southwest of the country.
Germany is currently experiencing one of the worst weather disasters since World War II. The states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate have been hit hard after several days of extreme rainfall.
The soil is saturated with water, reservoirs flood, and rivers overflow their banks. Desperate residents have sought refuge on rooftops as rescue helicopters circled their homes.
In parts of Rhineland-Palatinate, a state of emergency has been declared as a result of the extreme weather, which German meteorologists have called Bernd.
Unusually heavy rains have also led to flooding in neighboring Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Belgium. Belgian media report at least nine deaths, which gives a total death toll of 68 so far, according to AFP.
Merkel fears increased death toll
German Prime Minister Angela Merkel, who is visiting the United States, expresses her deepest sympathy with the flood victims.
“My thoughts go to those who have lost loved ones in this disaster and to those who are still worried about those who are missing,” Merkel said from the White House in Washington, emphasizing that people in Luxembourg and the Netherlands are also affected.
– I fear that we will only see the extent of this disaster in a few days, she added.
Merkel says the authorities are doing their utmost to help people in need. About 15,000 people from rescue services, police and the army have been deployed in the worst-hit areas.
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