Major floods in Germany and Belgium in July claimed 188 lives. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed shock at the damage caused by the rains and also at the solidarity shown by the population in dealing with the effects of the floods, reports the British broadcaster BBC.
The floods in Germany killed 157 people, including four firefighters, while in Belgium a natural disaster claimed the lives of 31 people. In Germany, the worst damage occurred in the western part of the country, in the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland.
“It’s shocking – I can almost say that there are no words in German to describe the scale of the devastation,” the long-time German head of government said during a visit to the severely affected village of Schulda to see the effects of the floods and meet the population.
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“What I saw, however, and what is incredibly reassuring is how people come together, help each other, show solidarity,” Merkel said. German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has announced that a proposal for € 300 million in flood relief funding will be submitted to the German government this week.
Meanwhile, rescuers continue to search for the remains of the dead, where power lines have been destroyed, homes and infrastructure have been destroyed, the BBC reports.
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