The number of people killed in the large-scale floods in Germany and Belgium rose to 127 on Friday, the authorities said.
“I am afraid we will only cover the true scale of this disaster in the coming days,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news conference in Washington.
The western part of Germany has suffered the most, with 60 people killed in Rhineland-Palatinate, while the number of victims in North Rhine-Westphalia has reached 44. The total number of deaths in Germany has risen to at least 104.
At least 23 people have died in neighboring Belgium.
Devastating floods have also been experienced in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, where several thousand people have been evacuated in Maastricht.
The final number of casualties in Germany may turn out to be even higher, as many people in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate are still considered missing.
The location of 1,300 people was unknown on Thursday night in the Rhineland-Palatinate area alone. However, this is largely an explanation for the damaged communication lines and roads, according to the authorities.
362 people have been injured in this area.
“We believe that 40, 50 or 60 people are still missing, and when you haven’t heard from people in such a long time, you’re worried about the worst,” Roger Leuven, Rhineland-Palatinate’s interior minister, told SWR.
Among those killed in Rhineland-Palatinate are 12 people with mental disabilities who lived in dormitories in Zinciga.
Many households still do not have electricity. For example, Leverkusen has about 1,200 households without electricity.
In Šulda, floodwaters have washed away several houses, but others have been badly damaged.
On Friday, increased attention is being paid to a new disaster area, the Erftstadt-Blesem region in North Rhine-Westphalia, where buildings and cars have been hit by a major landslide.
About 900 soldiers are also involved in the rescue.
Authorities, churches and religious organizations have begun collecting donations to support victims.
In response to the natural disaster, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for greater efforts to combat climate change, and he has been supported by other German politicians who represent virtually the entire political spectrum.
The Prime Minister of the Walloon Region of Belgium, Elio Di Rupio, has also acknowledged the need to learn from the disaster.
Rail traffic has been cut off throughout Wallonia and more than 20,000 people have been left without electricity.
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