It is one of the worst natural disasters in Germany: the recent floods killed at least 103 people on Friday, July 16th. Torrential rains weakened the soils. Near Cologne, a landslide took everything in its path.
It’s as if the earth has been destroyed. Previously, there was farmland or an equestrian center in the Erftstadt-Blessem disaster area. Now, in the mud-sucked crater, there are cars, houses, an entire neighborhood swept away by a spectacular landslide. Whole swaths of land continue to fall on the night of Friday, July 16th.
In question, a mighty torrent of water and mud, which spilled on Thursday, July 15 in the commune near Cologne, after the Erft river overflowed. Fortunately, many residents had the instinct to leave their homes when the water started to rise. “When we saw our basement flooded to the top and water was reaching our backyard, we decided to leave, but we had no instructions.” Says a woman. The villagers begin to return and discover the extent of the disaster. “There are people who may have died, people who lived among us”, comments a man. No human tolls have yet been reported, but several people are missing.