Belgium suffers worst floods in decades

Cars and pavements were washed away in the deluge

Dinant, in Belgium, has suffered severe flooding.

A two-hour thunderstorm in Belgium has caused the country’s worst flooding in decades.

Streets in Dinant buckled under into torrents that washed away cars and pavements.

“I have been living in Dinant for 57 years, and I’ve never seen anything like that,” said Richard Fournaux, a former mayor of the town.

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Rainwater gushing down steep streets swept away dozens of cars, piling them in a heap at a crossing, and washed away cobblestones, pavements and whole sections of Tarmac.

There was no precise estimate of the damage, with town authorities predicting only that it would be “significant”, reported the Belgian broadcaster RTL TV.

The southern town was spared the deadly floods 10 days ago that killed 37 people in south-east Belgium and many more in Germany.

A badly damaged street after heavy rainfall in Dinant, south-west Belgium.

Last week the Cabinet of German Chancellor Angela Merkel approved an emergency aid package for flood-stricken regions of Germany.

She said billions of euros would be needed to rebuild homes, businesses and vital infrastructure.

A total of 132 people were confirmed to have died in the flooding in Rhineland-Palatinate state and about 150 are missing.

At least 48 deaths were reported in North Rhine-Westphalia and one in Bavaria.

Updated: July 25th 2021, 4:34 PM