At least 188 people across parts of Western Europe have lost their lives in a series of devastating floods following days of historic levels of rainfall. Towns in river valleys and low-lying plains in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Austria have been heavily damaged by flash flooding since Wednesday. Rescue workers are still searching for hundreds listed as missing, while some towns have started cleanup and recovery efforts. Collected below are recent images from some of these hard-hit towns and cities.
Photos: Catastrophic Flooding Across Western Europe
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The Ahr River flows past destroyed houses in Insul, Germany, on July 15, 2021. Because of heavy rainfall, the Ahr dramatically overflowed its banks the evening before. #
Michael Probst / AP -
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Jutta Schnelleckes sits in the living room of her apartment, which was completely destroyed by the flood on July 17, 2021, in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany. The furniture has been overturned. Electricity and water do not work. She has been living in the mess for two days. Her husband sits in the bedroom, with the dog, with an injured foot. Firefighters will later escort her out of her apartment and help her find shelter. #
Thomas Lohnes / Getty -
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People struggle with floodwater, after a severe rainstorm and flash floods hit the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, on July 16, 2021. #
Abdulhamid Hosbas / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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