(Berlin) Incessant rains, floods, dike rupture: the situation on the front of rising waters is tense on Saturday in southern Germany, several Bavarian districts having declared a state of emergency.
In Fischach, in the Augsburg district, several people had to leave their homes and some were evacuated by helicopter, according to local authorities.
A dike and a dam gave way, the Schmutter River burst its banks and roads were flooded.
As in Augsburg, the districts of Aichach-Friedberg, Neu-Ulm, Pfaffenhofen and Donau-Ries have also declared a state of emergency, which allows the establishment of a system to best coordinate relief. The Günzburg district had already done the same on Friday evening.
A group of 26 people who had undertaken the ascent of the Zugspitze, the highest point of the Bavarian Alps, despite heavy snowfall, remained stuck below the summit, Bavarian radio Bayerischer Rundfunk also announced, citing the radio service. mountain rescue Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Several rescue teams were sent to the scene.
Baden-Württemberg, neighboring Bavaria, was also heavily affected by the bad weather.
The Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) for its part announced that it had mobilized around 400 people in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg to fight against the floods.
Rail traffic was disrupted in these regions: no trains ran on the Munich-Bregenz-Zurich line and on the Stuttgart-Ulm-Augsburg-Munich line, Deutsche Bahn said.
In the eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, some flooding developed during the night from Friday to Saturday, according to the regional Ministry of the Environment.
Flooding could also occur in tributaries of the Danube.
The municipality of Meckenbeuren, in the Lake Constance district, had recommended Friday evening that around 1,300 people leave their houses and apartments due to the risk of flooding.
The German Weather Service (DWD) has warned of continued rain in the southern half of Germany, which is expected to ease on Sunday. Bad weather is expected to reach Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, in the east of the country, late Saturday afternoon.