Flooding in Germany kills 80 people (Ld)

Berlin, July 16 (IANS) Flooding in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia due to torrential rainfall has left at least 80 people dead and dozens missing, local media reported on Friday.The death toll in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has increased to 50, and "the fear is that there will be more", said a police spokesman in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.According to figures previously released by the Interior Department of North Rhine-Westphalia, at least 30 people died in the state as a result of the disastrous weather, Xinhua news agency.The town of "Schuld an der Ahr" in the Rhineland-Palatinate state was the worst hit, with some houses destroyed by the floods, and several other counties have also been badly affected, according to the report.The Rhineland-Palatinate state's Interior Department previously told the media that "the fate of 40 to 60 people remains unclear".In North Rhine-Westphalia, 23 districts have been affected.Clean-up and recovery work is still underway and soldiers have arrived in the affected areas to support rescue efforts.
--IANS ksk/