“Catastrophic situation” in Belgium due to extreme rainfall: six dead

The eastern provinces of Limburg, Liège, Luxembourg and more centrally located Flemish Brabant were hit hard by the rain.

On the Vesder in the village of Pepinster near Liège, around ten houses collapsed as a result of the floods, reports the Belgian broadcaster VRT. Various photos show how people on the rooftops are waiting for help. In Wallonia, the risk of flooding is very high and the red code has been declared.

A boy drowns in Eupen

So far, six people are known to have been killed. One of them, a 22-year-old boy, died according to the latest news after jumping into white water with a swimming ring. His lifeless body was later found in a stream. In Aywaille, a 50-year-old man died in his flooded cellar.

Four bodies were then found Thursday afternoon in the city of Verviers in the province of Liège. No further details have been released on these victims yet.

“Hours in the water”

Flooding is also significant elsewhere in the country. “The situation is catastrophic,” Mayor Jo Roggen of the village of Geetbets in Flemish Brabant told VRT. “We’ve been in the water for several hours and it doesn’t look like it will improve immediately.”

According to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, all available emergency aid is being used, including that of the army.