Skip to main content
Jul 16, 2021 - Energy & Environment

In photos: Floodwaters rise in Europe following record rainfall

headshot
Citizens clear up their flood damaged houses on July 16

Citizens clear up their flood-damaged houses on July 16 in Ensival, Belgium. Photo: Olivier Matthys/Getty Images

Following days of heavy rainfall in Germany and Belgium, rivers and reservoirs have burst through their banks to create a rare flood event that's left more than 125 people dead.

State of play: The equivalent of two months of rain has fallen on some areas over the last one to two days, per AP, citing the French national weather service.

  • Scientists are analyzing the rainfall for more precise calculations and to determine the role that global warming played in this disaster.

In photos

A man moves possesions inside a flooded house on July 16, 2021 in Geulle, Netherlands.
A man moves possessions inside a flooded house on July 16 in Geulle, Netherlands. Photo: Sanne Derks/Getty Images
Damage caused by floods in Liege after the heavy rainfall of the past days
Damage caused by floods in Liège, Belgium, after the heavy rainfall of the past days, July 16. Photo: Bernard Gillet/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images
This picture taken in Chaudfontaine, near Liege, on July 16, 2021 shows debris piled up next to a bridge after the flood.
This picture taken in Chaudfontaine, near Liège, Belgium, on July 16, shows debris piled up next to a bridge after the flood. Photo by John Thys/AFP via Getty Images
A car sits sunken in a deluged area after a major flood in the Ahrlweiler district of Germany's mountainous Eifel area.
A car sits sunken in a deluged area after a major flood in the Ahrweiler district of Germany's mountainous Eifel area on July 16. Photo: Adam Berry/Getty Images
Destroyed furniture and household goods are piled up in front of a flooded house in Iversheim near Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany.
Destroyed furniture and household goods are piled up in front of a flooded house in Iversheim near Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany. Photo: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images
A flooded street is seen in Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany, on July 16, 2021, after heavy rain hit parts of the country, causing widespread flooding.
A flooded street is seen in Bad Muenstereifel, western Germany, on July 16 after heavy rain hit parts of the country, causing widespread flooding. Photo: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images

Go deeper:

Go deeper