Residents in the southern states of and have been urged to exercise extreme caution Saturday as dramatic evacuations take place across the region.
So far, states of emergency have been declared in several districts and the German Weather Service (DWD) has issued severe weather warnings in more than 10 districts, with forecasts for more heavy rain over the next 24-48 hours.
Widespread disruption
Train service between the Bavarian capital Munich and Bregenz, Austria, as well as Zurich, Switzerland, were canceled Saturday. Train travel between Munich and Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, was detoured, and services between Ulm and Augsburg were also affected.
In Augsburg, Bavaria, a dyke and a dam both burst prompting emergency evacuations.
In Fischach, west of Munich, emergency services workers had to rescue residents stranded in their homes with helicopters when the local Schmutter River flooded. Other districts saw rescuers arriving in boats as floodwaters made roads impassable.
Authorities in Diedorf near Augsburg, for instance, told residents that it was no longer enough for them to simply move to the upper floors of their homes, ordering them to leave as floodwaters continued to rise.
Residents of Bavaria, Baden Württemberg ordered to evacuate
Evacuations in the region began Friday evening, with an apartment building in Lindau, Bavaria, emptied as a precautionary measure. Water had made its way into the building, a spokeswoman for the city said, increasing the risk of an electrical short-circuit.
Residents from the building were then bussed to a nearby gymnasium where they spent the night.
In the Lake Constance district of Baden-Württemberg some 1,300 people were also asked to leave their homes due to the risk of flooding.
Fire departments across southern Germany urged residents in affected areas to avoid basements, underground parking facilities and tunnels as well as advising against attempting to drive or walk through flooded areas.
In Wiesensteig, Baden-Württemberg, residents were ordered to boil water before consumption after floodwaters overwhelmed local water treatment facilities.
Though Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg were most directly affected, with heavy rains and thunderstorms continuing on Saturday, the eastern states or Saxony and Thuringia also began experiencing inclement weather with heavy rain in the forecast. Several major events in the area were canceled as a precaution.
js,rmt/kb,ab (AFP, dpa)
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