Bizarre images: dead and missing after landslide in North Rhine-Westphalia | Abroad

It is not known how many people have died. It is also not clear how many people are missing. Due to the severe weather, houses in Erfstadt-Blessem are under water and a number have collapsed.

Rescue often not possible

According to local authorities, emergency calls are made from homes, but rescue is often not possible. The emergency service is on site. According to German media, there are not enough rescue workers and their work is being hampered by a gas leak that cannot be repaired.

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Floods top priority for army

For the German army, rescue work in the flood-affected areas is now a top priority, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said Friday. It has temporarily halted all military activities not directly related to foreign missions.

Soldiers support the rescue work with around five hundred men in North Rhine-Westphalia and at least two hundred in Rhineland-Palatinate. They rescue people, evacuate buildings and distribute fuel and sandbags, while the police work to provide protection and prevent looting.

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