Germany floods: Firefighter dies during rescue in Bavaria

Bavaria's Ministry for Education and Culture announced the cancellation of in-person classes at over 40 schools in eight districts across the state on Sunday evening.

The closures will be in effect for the coming week in the districts of Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Aichach-Friedberg, Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, Freising, Fürstenfeldbruck, Dachau, Dillingen und Augsburg, where elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as technical schools, nurseries and kindergartens will be closed due to flooding.

Regional authorities ordered the "immediate evacuation" of several villages in Bavaria's Donau-Ries District along the Danube and Schmutter rivers Sunday evening. 

The Donauwörth District Administration said the decision — affecting the villages of Auchsesheim, Heissesheim, Nordheim, Mertingen, Asbach-Bäumenheim and Urfahrhof — had been prompted by a "massive weakening" dams in the area. 

Authorities advised residents to, "remain calm, pack necessary items and documents, and follow the instructions of emergency services crews at the scene." 

The District Administration's website also informed residents that emergency shelters had been set up for those who could not stay with friends or relatives.

A Bavarian senior citizen and nursing home on the banks of the Danube has been evacuated as floodwaters continue to rise across the region Sunday evening.

The city of Lauingen announced the decision on its website after closely monitoring the situation throughout Saturday and Sunday, saying it had been taken to ensure the long-term care of residents in the more than 100-bed facility.

Residents will be temporarily housed in a nearby educational center.

The German Weather Service (DWD) on Sunday forecast more heavy rain across southern Germany on Sunday and Monday after several municipalities in the region received more rainfall in 24 hours than they normally do in one month.

Especially heavy rain is expected in the Stuttgart region on Sunday, with thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast for an area stretching from the Alps as far north as Saxony, the south of Brandenburg and Berlin.

Overnight storms are expected to hit an area extending from the Black Forest in the southwest, across the entire south of Germany to the Bavarian Forest bordering Czechia to the east.

More of the same is on tap for Monday with the DWD warning that some areas could expect up to 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) of rain per square meter within an hour's time. 

The DWD said that on Friday, Kisslegg in Baden-Württemberg received 130 millimeters of rainfall per square meter within 24 hours, and Bad Wörishofen in Bavaria received 129 millimeters per square meter during that same time. Average monthly precipitation in each for May stands at 118 and 101 millimeters per square meter respectively.

Rescue crews are continuing their efforts for a third day as heavy rains drench southern Germany and force thousands to be evacuated.

DW spoke with several locals about their experience.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to visit southern Germany on Monday to meet with local leaders and view affected areas firsthand.

News agency AFP cited government sources when it reported the plan, but gave no further information.

On Sunday, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck traveled to Bavaria, where he joined State Premier Markus Söder in Reichertshofen, which was especially hard hit.

A dam collapse has prompted the closure of a 50-kilometer (31-mile) stretch of the A9 Autobahn between Ingolstadt and Munich according to police in Upper Bavaria.

Police say they have never experienced such flooding in the area and offered no information as to how long the road would be closed, only advising residents to stay clear of the area to keep themselves safe and not hinder rescue operations.

Train operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) also issued several updates on Sunday, among them an announcement that train services in southern Germany would remain limited on Monday, June 3. DB said travelers who had purchased tickets for Sunday and Monday would be allowed to use these at a later time. 

DB did not give details as to the extent of the disruptions or how long they may last, simply advising travelers to avoid traveling in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg until the situation improved. 

A spokeswoman for Bavaria's Interior Ministry on Sunday said 3,000 residents had been evacuated from their homes as floodwaters inundated the southern German state, according to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily newspaper. 

Currently, more than 20,000 emergency services workers are involved in search and rescue efforts across Bavaria. More than 40,000 have been deployed since flooding began on Friday.

The Defense Ministry said on X, formerly Twitter, that around 800 soldiers had also been deployed.

Rescuers were working to evacuate people from the city of Günzburg, roughly halfway between Munich and Stuttgart, amid rising levels of the Danube River.

"Several parts of our urban area have been flooded. People are being rescued in boats and helicopters from their houses and apartments," Mayor Gerhard Jauernig wrote in an online post. He urged Günzburg residents to stay at home, follow the instructions given by rescuers, and keep off the streets to facilitate the evacuation effort.

"Curious onlookers and disaster-tourists are hindering the life-saving efforts and could have deadly consequences," Jauernig wrote.

The level of the Danube in the German city has risen nearly three meters (9,84 feet) since Friday, according to data cited by Augsburger Allgemeine paper.

Rescuers were searching for a 22-year-old firefighter in the Bavarian town of Offingen after he went missing overnight. Similar to his colleague in Pfaffenhofen, the man was taking part in the evacuation effort and was on a rubber boat with several other people when it capsized.

Police representative Holger Stabik disputed the rumors of the man's death.

"We have no confirmation of a body being found," Stabik was quoted as saying by Bavarian daily newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine.

A helicopter has been deployed to help the search.

With floods escalating in southern Germany, Bavarian Premier Markus Söder said 40,000 were deployed in his state alone.

"The most important thing is to organize the replacing (of rescuers) in the coming hours," he told reporters. "The longer you work without being relieved, the greater the danger of mistakes, of exhaustion, and then the danger of death and injury is more imminent."

Söder is visiting one of the affected towns, Reichersthofen, together with Economy Minister Robert Habeck.

The Bavarian premier said he expected support from the federal government both in terms of funding and manpower.

Two dams on the river Paar, a tributary of the Danube, broke near the Bavarian town of Pfaffenhofen an Ilm, local officials said on Sunday.

Local residents were advised to abandon the ground floors of their homes and climb to higher levels of buildings.

The news of the dams breaking comes just hours after a firefighter was confirmed dead in the same town.

A spokesperson for the firefighting service said the ongoing flood was unprecedented in the Pfaffenhofen region.

The local village of Reichertshofen has been flooded, he added.

"There is nothing more we can do, we have to sort of give up," he said, but added the firefighters were still in control of protecting human life.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was saddened by the death of the firefighter in Pfaffenhofen.

"We owe gratitude and respect to rescuers and helpers who are fighting against the flooding in multiple locations," Scholz said on X, formerly Twitter.

"My thoughts are with his family and colleagues," he added.

Trains have been canceled and delayed across southern Germany as the region struggles with flooding and landslides.

A spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn (DB) said several connections to and from Munich, Stuttgart and Augsburg were affected. This includes cancelations between Munich and Berlin, Munich and the Swiss metropolis of Zurich, as well Stuttgart and Frankfurt.

"We advise against traveling to areas affected by flooding in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg," the company said.

On Saturday, two railcars of an intercity express train derailed in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg after a landslide caused by heavy rain. None of the 185 passengers onboard were injured.

Following the news of the firefighter losing his life on duty, Germany's Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck described the incident as "terrible."

He added that the courage shown by both volunteer and professional rescuers "is not to be taken for granted."

"We should always be grateful that these people exist," he said.

The premier of Bavaria, Markus Söder, said that "all of us are grieving" after the firefighter's death.

"His deployment and efforts to help other people will always be remembered," he said in an online post.

Both Premier Söder and Vice Chancellor Habeck, who also serves as the economy minister and is charge of climate action, are expected to visit the town Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, where the deadly incident took place, on Sunday.