Europe floods: Death toll over 120 as rescues continue

An area completely destroyed by the floods in Blessem district of Erftstadt, western Germany

More than 120 people have died in devastating floods due to heavy rainfall across parts of western Germany and Belgium, officials said Friday, as search and rescue operations continued for hundreds more still unaccounted for or in danger.

A woman looks at cars and rubble piled up in a street after the floods caused major damage in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, also in western Germany

Authorities in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate said 60 people had died, including at least 12 residents of an assisted living facility for people with disabilities. Rescuers were rushing Friday to help people trapped in their homes in Erftstadt, southwest of Cologne. Regional authorities said several people had died after their houses collapsed due to subsidence, and aerial pictures showed what appeared to be a massive sinkhole. Authorities said late Thursday that about 1,300 people in Germany were listed missing.

A resident surveys damage at a home in an area destroyed by flood waters in Trooz, Belgium. Pics/AFP

After Germany, Belgium was the hardest hit by floods. Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden said Belgium's official confirmed death toll is 18 with the missing around 19.

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