The torrential rains which fell since Friday May 31 in the south of the country caused floods mobilizing more than 60,000 rescuers in Bavaria. They caused the evacuation of more than 6,000 people in this region.
At least five people died in the floods in southern Germany where the situation remained tense on Tuesday June 4 and the Red Cross was forced to distribute food by boat to residents blogged at home.
The death toll was updated after the death of a 52-year-old woman who found herself trapped in her car caught in the floodwaters, according to police. In the previous days, three people were found dead in their basements, and a rescuer lost his life after his boat capsized.
Several people are still missing, but police reported the rescue of a 32-year-old woman on Tuesday after 52 hours perched in a tree to escape floodwaters. She was located by police in the forest near Neu-Ulm, Bavaria, using a drone.
“Great damage and terrible suffering”
In Passau, in the southeast of the country, on the border with Austria, a large part of the center is submerged. Nicknamed “the city of three rivers”, it declared a state of emergency when the level of the Danube reached 10 meters at midday.
The city had been preparing for rising Danube waters since Friday, when torrential rains began, its mayor, Jürgen Dupper, said at a news conference.
But the level of the Inn River is rising at the same time as that of the Danube, a situation that the city “cannot cope with”, said Jürgen Dupper. “For the moment, there have been no human losses. This is the most important thing,” added Jürgen Dupper.
The Land of Bavaria is putting in place aid of “at least 100 million” euros, the head of government of this region Markus Söder declared on Tuesday in Munich. The famous Bavarian football club, FC Bayern, also announced on Tuesday that it would donate one million euros to flood victims.
“The floods have caused great damage and terrible suffering. In situations as exceptional as this, a spirit of solidarity is necessary,” FC Bayern President Herbert Hainer said in a statement.
