Furious torrents which sweep away everything in their path, mudslides, apocalyptic landscapes ... The violent bad weather which has hit Germany but also Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in recent hours have human consequences and dramatic material.
More than a hundred people have died, according to a latest assessment which is constantly rising, Germany evoking a "national tragedy".
1. A building collapsed in the floods, in the village of Schuld.
2. A long work of clearing and cleaning begins, as here in Erftstadt.
3. This old man contemplates the devastated streets of the town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler after the floods.
4. A fire engine stuck on the side of a flooded road in Erftstadt.
5. The receding waters here in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler leave the streets cluttered with debris.
6. Residents fill sandbags to protect their homes from water in Erftstadt.
7. This appalling aerial shot bears witness to the landslide that engulfed houses near Cologne on Friday morning.
An areal view after flooding at Erftstadt-Blessem, Germany, July 16, 2021. REUTERS / Rhein-Erft-Kreis NO RESALES.
NO ARCHIVES Rhein-Erft-Kreis
8. Stranded vehicles everywhere, crumpled like paper.
9. Aerial view of part of the village of Erftstadt-Blessem under water.
10. Everywhere in the affected towns, cars and vehicles carried by the water are found piled on top of each other.