Flooding in southern Germany gets worse, leading to further evacuations in certain areas.
A firefighter who went missing during a flood in Offingen, a town in the Günzburg district, has yet to be found. The 22-year-old was with a team of five other helpers in a boat when it capsized at night on Sunday to Monday. The search had to be temporarily suspended due to the high water levels and strong currents. The effort would resume if the water levels dropped and the safety of the rescue personnel could be assured, according to a police spokesperson.
In the same night, another firefighter perished during a rescue operation in Pfaffenhofen, a district in Upper Bavaria. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (both SPD) are scheduled to visit the flood-hit area in Bavaria on Monday. They plan to survey the situation alongside Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (both CSU) in Reichertshofen, Landkreis Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm.
The flood situation in Baden-Württemberg remains precarious, due in part to more heavy rainfall. The city administration in Ebersbach an der Fils, south of Stuttgart, has pleaded with residents to prepare for evacuations. In the Ostalbkreis, people were evacuated from several communities to secure locations overnight on Monday.
The German Weather Service removed all severe weather warnings for intense thunderstorms and heavy rainstorms on Monday. However, there are still occasional heavy rain showers with possible heavy rainfall in southern Germany. From Monday afternoon, areas south of the Danube and the Bavarian Forest are expected to be affected the most. The weather service has issued a continuous rain warning for the Oberschwaben and Allgäu region until Monday evening. As a result of the anticipated rainfall south of the Danube, the water levels in the tributaries leading to the Danube and Lake Constance in the Oberschwaben region may rise again.
The persistent rain and tense flood conditions have resulted in cancellations and delays in long-distance rail service in southern Germany. Passengers in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are advised to anticipate disruptions in their train schedules on Monday, as Deutsche Bahn announced on their website. All trains to Munich from Stuttgart, Würzburg, and Nuremberg are currently unable to reach the city.
Significant increases in water levels have occurred in countless streams and rivers, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, due to the heavy rains in recent days. Entire villages were flooded even after dams were breached.
