Widespread flooding disrupts cross-border transport in Germany
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People observing the Neckar river at a barrage near Ludwigsburg, southern Germany, on June 1.
PHOTO: AFP
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BERLIN – Heavy rains in southern Germany and parts of Switzerland caused major disruptions to transport and communications, with thunderstorms set to intensify over the weekend.
Train services linking Bavaria’s capital Munich, Zurich in Switzerland and Bregenz in Austria were cancelled on June 1, with the outage expected to continue until June 2, operator Deutsche Bahn said.
Flood warnings have been issued for almost half of Germany, including in parts of the eastern states of Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
For the Upper Danube River – a key shipping route – and several of its southern tributaries, high- or very-high water alerts are in place.
A dam broke near Augsburg, while residents trapped in their houses in Fischach, south-west of Augsburg, were evacuated by helicopter, according to local media reports. Authorities started setting up an emergency shelter on June 1 afternoon.
In Wiesensteig, around 2,100 citizens were ordered to boil tap water before drinking it after floodwaters entered a supply utility.
In Babenhausen, near financial hub Frankfurt, a district authority asked residents to hang white sheets outside windows in case of emergency after parts of the mobile phone network failed.
A reported height of 700cm was exceeded on the Upper Rhine River on June 1, with water levels set to rise “significantly” until June 2 afternoon, according to a flood forecasting centre in Rhineland-Palatinate. That would likely mean shipping on a section of Europe’s important trade link could also be disrupted.
Floods and landslides caused by heavy rain have blocked several roads in Switzerland, according to broadcaster SF. BLOOMBERG
