At least 42 people have died in western Germany and many more are missing following severe floods, police say, APA reports citing BBC.
The worst of the flooding has been in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, where buildings and cars have been washed away.
At least six others have died in neighbouring Belgium, and the city of Liège has urged all residents to leave.
It follows record rainfall in parts of western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks.
The Netherlands has also been badly hit, with flooding rivers damaging many houses in the southern province of Limburg. A number of care homes have also had to be evacuated.
Malu Dreyer, chief of Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate state, described the flooding as a "catastrophe".
"There are dead, missing and many people still in danger," she said. "All of our emergency services are in action round the clock and risking their own lives."
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in the US ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden, said she was "shocked by the disaster".
At least 19 people died in the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate, after the Ahr river, which flows into the Rhine, burst its banks.
Police helicopters and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to some areas to help stranded residents. Earlier, police said dozens of people were waiting on rooftops to be rescued.
Schools have been closed around the west of the country, while transport links have been severely disrupted.
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At least 33 people have died and many more are missing following severe floods in western Germany, police say, APA reports citing BBC.
The worst of the flooding has been in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, where buildings and cars have been washed away.
At least four people have died in neighbouring Belgium, while the Netherlands has also been badly hit.
It follows record rainfall in parts of western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks.
Malu Dreyer, chief of the Rhineland-Palatinate state, described the flooding as a "catastrophe".
"There are dead, missing and many people still in danger," she said. "All of our emergency services are in action round the clock and risking their own lives."
Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is in the US ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden, said she was "shocked by the disaster".
At least 19 people died in the Ahrweiler district of Rhineland-Palatinate, after the Ahr river, which flows into the Rhine, burst its banks.
About 25 houses are in danger of collapsing in the district of Schuld bei Adenau in the mountainous Eifel region, where a state of emergency has been declared, according to German broadcaster SWR.
It said some houses had been completely cut-off and could no longer be reached by boat.
Eight deaths were reported in the district of Euskirchen in North Rhine-Westphalia, while four people died in the Eifel region when their homes were swept away.
Meanwhile, two firefighters died on Wednesday in North Rhine-Westphalia. One drowned, while the other reportedly collapsed following a rescue operation.
Belgium has also been hit by flash floods, and dramatic video showed cars being swept away along a street in the city of Verviers.
***13:41
At least 11 people have died and dozens were reported missing on Thursday as record rainfall in western Germany caused rivers to burst their banks, swept away homes and inundated cellars, APA reports citing Reuters.
Police said four people had died and 70 were missing around the wine-growing hub of Ahrweiler, in Rhineland-Palatinate state, after the Ahr river that flows into the Rhine burst its banks and brought down half a dozen houses.
One local man fled Ahrweiler to safety after a flood warning was issued at 2 a.m. (0000 GMT).
"I've never experienced a catastrophe where the river burst its banks in such a short space of time," the 63-year-old man, whose name was not given, told SWR television.
Police helicopters and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to some areas to help stranded residents. Earlier, police said dozens of people were waiting on rooftops to be rescued.
Schools have been closed around the west of the country, while transport links have been severely disrupted.
***11:18
Flooding in western Germany has left six people dead and many missing, and caused at least six houses to collapse, APA reports citing Reuters.
Police said on Thursday that four people were dead and 30 missing around the wine-growing hub of Ahrweiler, south of Bonn, after the Ahr river, which flows into the Rhine, burst its banks, bringing down the houses. Around 50 were stranded on roofs, and more houses were at risk of collapse.
"There are many places where fire brigades and rescue workers have been deployed. We don't yet have a very precise picture because rescue measures are continuing," a police spokesperson said.
Two firefighters died in the Sauerland region, northeast of Bonn, on Wednesday, police said. The news agency DPA said one had drowned and a second had collapsed after a rescue operation.
Rail and road transport were disrupted, and shipping on the Rhine, an important trade artery,was suspended.
More heavy rain was due in southwestern Germany, on the upper reaches of the German Rhine, on Thursday and Friday, the German Weather Service said.
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