Chancellor Scholz on Monday showed solidarity with the victims of the floods in southern Germany which left at least two dead, believing that it was a “warning of climate change”, originally, according to him, of these disasters.
Southern Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, Germany’s two southernmost regional states, have been hit by torrential rains since Friday and thousands of people continue to be evacuated.
Visiting Reichertshofen, in Bavaria, one of the places most affected by heavy downpours and floods for four days, Olaf Scholz estimated that these types of disasters were increasing.
“This is already the fourth time this year that I have visited a territory (flooded, editor’s note). It is a reminder of what is at work. We must not neglect our duty to stop climate change, caused by man,” said the German leader, wearing boots and a raincoat.
“We must consider this event, this catastrophe, as a warning,” he added.
Since the start of the floods, two deaths have been recorded: the body of a 43-year-old woman, who had been missing since Saturday, was found in the cellar of her house in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, according to police on Monday.
This is the second death after that reported Sunday of a 42-year-old volunteer firefighter. The latter lost his life during a rescue operation in Pfaffenhofen (50 km north of Munich), where up to 800 people had to be evacuated after a dike broke.
In Offingen (south), another 22-year-old volunteer firefighter is still missing.
