SCHULD, Germany – At least 42 people have died in Germany and dozens were missing on Thursday as swollen rivers caused by record rainfall across western Europe swept through towns and villages, leaving cars upended, houses destroyed and people stranded on rooftops.
As the water started to recede, stunned residents in the worst affected towns inspected what was left of their homes and neighbourhoods.
In the town of Schuld, houses were reduced to piles of debris and broken beams. Roads were blocked by wreckage and fallen trees and fish flapped and gasped on puddles of water in the middle of the street.
“We have had have two or three days of constant rain. O…
Keep on reading: At least 44 dead, dozens missing as floods sweep through western Europe