In pictures: Debris and devastation as deadly floods hit Europe

A woman looks at cars and rubble piled up in a street after the floods caused major damage in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, western Germany, on July 16, 2021. - Copyright Credit: AFP

By Euronews

Published on 16/07/2021 - 15:49 GMT+2 •Updated 18:23

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Houses swept away, cars tossed around like dolls, mudslides and sinkholes as deadly floods hit Germany and Belgium.

Scores of people have been killed in Germany and Belgium after heavy rain caused rivers to burst their banks.

The vast majority of the deaths have been in western Germany. In North Rhine-Westphalia, governor Armin Laschet said the floods had “literally pulled the ground from beneath many people’s feet. They lost their houses, farms or businesses.” In Rhineland-Palatinate, where at least 60 people died, entire villages were destroyed.

In a provisional tally, the death toll in Belgium rose to 12 and five people were missing, local authorities and media reported early Friday. Most of the drowning victims were found around Liege, where the rain hit hardest.