China News Agency, Berlin, July 19 (Reporter Peng Dawei) The extreme flood disaster in Germany has caused at least 166 deaths as of the 19th.

The Ministry of Environment of North Rhine-Westphalia, which has been severely affected by the floods this round, stated that the water level of the rivers in the state has begun to drop across the board, but there is still the possibility of flooding in some sections of the Ruhr River, and related areas are facing risks such as inundation of arable land and traffic interruption. .

　　According to German media reports, as of that day, at least 749 people had been injured in the flood, and a large number of people were missing. The total number is still unclear.

The picture shows local time on July 19, 2021, in Altenaar, Germany, with caravans, fuel tanks, trees and waste piled on a bridge in Ahr, which is several meters high.

Many houses in the town were completely destroyed or severely damaged.

　　The Environment Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Heinen-Esser said that although none of the 175 water level monitoring points in the state has shown any further risk of endangering the settlements, it is still too early to lift the alarm.

She said that the most urgent task at present is still to rescue disasters while avoiding more people's lives from being threatened.

　　The flood caused huge losses to the local area.

As of the 19th, about 30,000 people in western Germany still have no access to electricity.

Weigander, the mayor of Altenaar in the hard-hit state of Lefah, said that due to severe damage to the infrastructure, parts of the city may face a lack of drinking water in the coming weeks and even months.

　　Following a visit to Alweiler County in the worst-hit state of Lafia on the 18th, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to the same severely disaster-stricken North Rhine-Westphalia city of Alweiler on the 20th.

She plans to meet local people affected by the disaster and representatives of rescuers.

　　During her visit to the state of Lafayette, Merkel has promised that the German federal government will pass an emergency assistance program within this week to support the disaster-stricken areas and people.

According to the "Rhine Post" report, the planned aid package will reach at least 400 million euros, half of which will be borne by the federal government and the affected federal states.

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