’Catastrophic’ flooding hits western Germany leaving dozens dead

Heavy rain and floods have caused the collapse of six houses in Germany’s western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, leaving at least 38 people dead and many missing or stranded on rooftops. Two firemen drowned and the army was deployed to help stranded residents on Wednesday, after a slow-moving low-pressure weather system caused once-in-a-generation floods Rail, road and river transport have been disrupted in the country’s most populous region. The German weather service issued an extreme weather warning on Wednesday for parts of three western states, while Hagen, a city of 180,000, declared a state of emergency after the Volme river burst its banks. Subscribe to Guardian News on YouTube ► Several missing and many stranded after houses collapse in German floods ► The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian