Nine other people lost their lives as a result of the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate.

This increases the number of deaths to 28. "We are assuming that we were able to recover nine more dead by the fire brigade, at least that's the message from the technical operations management," said the Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Minister Roger Lewentz (SPD) on Thursday evening on SWR television.

In view of the large number of around 40 to 60 people still missing, the Minister of the Interior made it clear that possible further victims are also to be feared.

“When people are missing for so many hours and of course you know about the catastrophe everywhere, then there are some who, for whatever reason - here you have to think the worst - have not reported back, so that the night, the next days possibly even this number can soar up again ”, said Lewentz.

The focus of the disaster is the Ahrweiler district.

In the 700-inhabitant village of Schuld an der Ahr alone, six houses collapsed and around 40 percent of the other residential buildings were damaged.

There was also considerable damage in other regions of the Eifel as well as in the Trier-Saarburg district.

In the meantime, the Bundeswehr has sent more soldiers to help after the storm in western Germany. 100 soldiers are helping in the Ahrweiler district. They use five "deep-water vehicles", which can also move forward in flooded streets, four wheel loaders and two rescue helicopters "SAR" of the German Armed Forces. According to the Bundeswehr, a total of eleven helicopters were in use there, also to rescue people trapped by the floods.

In the Eifel district of Bitburg-Prüm, the Bundeswehr was on the move with five ambulances and a crew and also set up seven mobile satellite systems to restore communication for cut-off locations.

In the Trier-Saarburg area, help was given to evacuate a nursing home.

110 people were brought to safety there, including 45 bedridden residents.

In the Trier-Saarburg area, 40 soldiers are on the move with 12 boats and a “jetlow system” - a kind of ferry.

In addition, a loudspeaker system dingo was used to support the evacuation of the villages of Ralingen, Wintersdorf and Kordel.

The aim was to save 500 people.