Flood in western Germany leaves 30 missing

BERLIN - About 30 people are missing in western Germany after a flood last night caused by continuous rainfall, local media reported Thursday.

A total of six houses collapsed in the town of Schuld in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate during the past night, according to regional public broadcasting corporation SWR.

Another 25 houses in the area are in an unstable condition and at risk of collapse, with the extent of the damage and the exact number of missing yet unknown, the report quoted police as saying.

In some areas of the state, local people were besieged by floodwaters and awaiting air rescue, it said, adding that the German military (Bundeswehr) was also partially involved in the rescue.

A low-pressure system with its center over Central Europe continues to make the weather in Rhineland-Palatinate and the state of Saarland in western Germany changeable, but no longer with widespread rainfall, according to the latest update by German weather service DWD on Thursday morning.