Chancellor Scholz visits flood-hit areas in southern Germany

GENEVA

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in the flood-hit area in southern Germany on Monday morning.

The visit to Reichertshofen in Bavaria was made together with Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Bavaria's Minister President Markus Soder, according to a chancellery statement.

After days of continuous rain, rivers and streams overflowed their banks in many areas of the German states of Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria.

According to a statement from the Interior Ministry on Sunday, 3,000 people were evacuated in Bavaria.

A firefighter died at the weekend during rescue work in the Upper Bavarian district of Pfaffenofen, according to a spokesperson for the local government on Sunday.

In Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, a 43-year-old woman was found dead on Monday. According to the police headquarters of Upper Bavaria on Sunday, the woman was in the basement of an apartment building in the town of Schrobenhausen when it was flooded.

A firefighter who is missing in Offingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, has not yet been found. The Offingen police spokesman said on Monday morning: “The search will continue.”

Tens of thousands of helpers are working in the crisis areas, local media reported.

Many schools in particularly affected regions of both federal states canceled classes for Monday, and kindergartens and special education centers are also to remain closed.

Rail traffic in southern Germany remains severely disrupted due to the storm damage. Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced on Monday night: “We advise against traveling to the affected flood areas in Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemberg and recommend postponing unnecessary trips.”

The German Weather Service (DWD) lifted all existing severe weather warnings for heavy thunderstorms with heavy rain on Monday night. However, there will still be showers with the potential for heavy rain in some areas, especially in southern Germany.