Scholz to visit flood area in Germany, storm warnings lifted

Berlin, May 18 (IANS/DPA) After heavy rainfall that caused flooding and landslides in the western German state of Saarland, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and state Premier Anke Rehlinger will visit the region on Saturday to assess the situation.

The situation had eased somewhat by early Saturday morning, according to the police.

"The water levels of the Saar and other bodies of water are peaking or beginning to fall," said a spokesman for the district's technical operations centre.

However, the rescue services were still on a large-scale operation. The exact extent of the damage must still be properly assessed, he said.

The flood is a type that occurs every 20 to 50 years, according to the State Office for Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety.

The German Weather Service (DWD) measured more than 100 litres of rain per square metre in less than 24 hours.

As of now, no lives are known to have been lost.

The police in Saarland recorded around 1,000 deployments by early Saturday morning, in addition to thousands of deployments by fire brigades and other aid organisations.

Numerous roads in Saarland are still closed and rail traffic is also restricted, according to railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB). It initially advised against non-essential travel to the Saarland.

Officials said that 220 people were accommodated in a gymnasium in Saarburg-Beurig. A retirement home was also evacuated in Saarburg and a hotel in Trittenheim on the Middle Moselle. Around 50 people were taken to temporary accommodation in a gymnasium.

Scholz cancelled an election campaign appearance planned for Saturday to visit the affected region.

As some regions were expected to begin clean-up work, others reported the situation remained tense on Saturday morning.

In the Trier-Saarburg district, local administrators said the water levels on the two rivers remain high.

Due to a defective barrage, there could be a backwater on the Moselle River thus flooding in the communities in question. The emergency services are reportedly being further increased.

Many houses in the Ruwer Valley are said to be underwater. The exact number was not initially known.

The DWD cancelled all severe weather warnings in Germany early on Saturday morning.

As a result, there were no longer any warnings of "extremely heavy continuous rain" in Saarland or Rhineland-Palatinate, according to the DWD.

After a restless night, many people in the affected regions will begin to clean up on Saturday.

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