Dozens of people are reported missing in the Eifel region after a number of houses collapsed due to heavy rain.
Firefighters were called out to contend with multiple incidents, trees in the street, flooded basements and closed roads.
Of particular concern was the situation in Altena, south of Iserlohn. A 46-year-old firefighter was killed during a rescue operation.
In Hagen, too, inhabitants had to contend with a deluge of water. Hundreds of calls came in to the 112 hotline. Some areas could no longer be reached by car, and people had to be rescued from their vehicles.
Officials in Rhineland-Palatinate/Rheinland-Pfalz have declared the situation a catastrophic event. Many roads and towns are unreachable.
Schools will be closed on Thursday.
In Saxony, a man who was swept away by the water is still missing. Several police helicopters and search dogs were in use. A person is also missing in Baden-Württemberg, where an 81-year-old man is said to have fallen into a river while working on his house.
In Erkrath, meanwhile, a call was made to the citizens to produce as little waste water as possible, not to shower, to go to the toilet and to refrain from using the dishwasher or washing machine. Around 100 residents of a residential home had to be evacuated.
As the WDR reports, the A61 in North Rhine-Westphalia threatens to collapse because a pillar has been broken. The motorway in the direction of Koblenz had to be closed between the junctions for Meckenheim and Sinzig.
In the Wuppertal, heavy rains led to power outages. In the Elberfeld West district, up to 8,000 residents had no electricity on Wednesday evening. The water level reached near the city with a height of 3.40 meters.
