At least 80 people died and more than a thousand were missing Friday, as severe flooding in western Germany turned streams and streets into raging torrents that swept away cars and caused houses to collapse, according to German broadcaster ARD.
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Family and friends were unable to track down loved ones as mobile phone networks collapsed in some of the flood-stricken regions. On Friday morning, houses collapsed in Erftstadt near Cologne, and rescue crews were struggling to help residents who had returned to their houses despite the warnings, the Cologne district government said on Facebook.
Video: Reuters
The North Rhine-Westfalia parliament will hold an emergency meeting on Friday. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told German magazine Spiegel that the federal government aimed to provide financial support for the affected regions as quickly as possible, adding it should go to the cabinet for approval on Wednesday.
Severe floods also hit other western European countries, such as Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
