Continuous rainfall over several days has caused water levels to rise in several rivers in Germany, including the Donau, Neckar, and Guenz, leading to widespread flooding in coastal cities and towns. Water levels in many areas have reached their highest levels in a century, Xinhua reported.
The two southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg are the hardest hit. As of 2 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) on Sunday, 10 districts in Bavaria have declared a state of emergency, with over 670 residents of the district Neuburg-Schrobenhausen being evacuated, local authority said.
The German Weather Service has issued the highest level of severe weather warnings for several districts in southern Germany. In the city of Meckenbeuren of Baden-Wuerttemberg, some 1,300 people were also asked to leave their homes due to the risk of flooding.