Enlarge image
The outer bailey and manor house of Blessem Castle before the flood
Photo: Stefan Ziese / imagebroker / imago images
The Erftstadt district of Blessem, which was particularly hard hit by the storm, has been secured by a hundred police.
In the area southwest of Cologne there had been huge landslides and craters formed in the ground.
The city announced that three residential buildings and part of the historic castle were destroyed by the flash flood.
Despite the collapsed houses and massive damage, there were no confirmed fatalities in the extremely submerged district by Saturday noon.
The situation is still tense, said a spokesman for the circle.
Since the work of the rescue workers is still in full swing, one cannot rule out the possibility of deaths being found.
On the nearby federal highway 265, however, the German armed forces have started to rescue the flooded vehicles with armored wheeled vehicles.
No humans have yet been discovered in the trucks and cars.
Löw / dpa