BERLIN, 16 July 2021, (TON): At least 42 people have died in Germany and dozens were missing as record rainfall in western Europe caused rivers to burst their banks, swept away homes and flooded cellars.

Police said “eighteen people died and dozens were missing around the wine-growing region of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate state, after the Ahr river that flows into the Rhine rose and brought down half a dozen houses.”

Authorities said “another 15 people died in the Euskirchen region south of the city of Bonn. In Belgium, two men died due to the torrential rain and a 15-year-old girl was missing after being swept away by a swollen river.”

Hundreds of soldiers were helping police with the rescue efforts in Germany, using tanks to clear roads of landslides and fallen trees, while helicopters winched those stranded on rooftops to safety.

In Ahrweiler, two wrecked cars leant steeply against either side of the town's stone gate and locals used snow shovels and brooms to sweep mud from their homes and shops after the floodwaters receded.

Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her dismay.