Heavy rainfall causes flooding in western Germany.

High risk. Heavy rainfall has resulted in localized flooding in parts of western Germany as of early July 16. The most affected areas include North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate states
Estimates of missing people are somewhere between 50 and 70, while the number of displaced people and property damage is yet to be determined, but sure to be high.
In Belgium, Residents of Liège, Belgium’s third-largest urban area after Brussels and Antwerp, were ordered to evacuate, while around 10 houses collapsed in Pepinster after the river Vesdre flooded the eastern town and residents were evacuated from more than 1,000 homes.
The rain also caused severe disruption to public transport, with high-speed Thalys train services to Germany cancelled. Traffic on the river Meuse is also suspended as the major Belgian waterway threatened to breach its banks.
In the Netherlands, there have been no casualties reported, but thousands of people in towns and villages along the Meuse river have been urged to leave their houses quickly. Flooding rivers damaged many houses in the southern province of Limburg and the city of Maastricht.

Reports indicate train delays and cancellations in North Rhine-Westphalia due to flooding. Affected lines include the Cologne-Wuppertal-Hagen-Dortmund, Cologne-Dusseldorf-Essen-Dortmund, and the Cologne-Koblenz via Bonn sections. International train service disruptions are also ongoing between Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. Flooding could block other regional rail lines; additional freight and passenger train delays and cancellations are possible in areas that see heavy rainfall and potential track inundation.

Confirm all transport reservations and business appointments before travel. Allow extra time for travel in the affected area and plan alternative routes if necessary. Weather experts said that rain in the region over the past 24 hours had been unprecedented.