Authorities in Germany warned of flooding in the west of the country Saturday as meltwater pushes rivers to break their banks.
Shipping was halted on the Rhine at Karlsruhe, and in Wissen southeast of Cologne four men had to be rescued after their inflatable boat capsized in swollen rapids.
In Buedingen, east of Frankfurt, residents tried to salvage belongings from the mud swept in by a foot-high surge of water overnight.
Emergency workers collect local people, residents who are trapped by flood waters in the flooded old town of Budingen, Germany, Friday Jan. 29, 2021. Heavy rains and the snow thaw have significantly aggravated the flood situation in some parts of the town. (Frank Rumpenhorstdpa via AP)
Unseasonably warm weather and rain have accelerated snowmelt in parts of Switzerland and Germany in recent days.
Meanwhile, fresh snow disrupted rail traffic in large parts of northern Germany, cutting off connections to Bremen, Kiel and Luebeck overnight.
Restaurant tenant Jelenko Zeric shows his demolished restaurant in Buedingen, some 40 km east of Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, the day after floods hit the old town of the village. After the lockdown because of the Coronavirus the flood damage is the second stroke in short time for the tenant and the owners. (AP PhotoMichael Probst)
Glasses are covered with mood in a demolished restaurant in Buedingen, some 40 km east of Frankfurt, Germany, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, the day after floods hit the old town of the village. After the lockdown because of the Coronavirus the flood damage is the second stroke in short time for the tenant and the owners. (AP PhotoMichael Probst)