Foreign Office tells people to check before travelling to European country

The Foreign Office has issued an alert for anyone travelling to a major European country after severe weather hit. Officials have urged people travelling to the south of Germany to check their transport plans before going there after massive floods hit the ares.

Devastating conditions have left a firefighter dead and hundreds of people trapped after heavy rain. In a new update today the Foreign Office said: “Floods are affecting some parts of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden Wurttemberg. Follow the advice of the local authorities, as well as the German Met Office https://www.dwd.de/EN/Home/home_node.html , and be sure to check your transport plans before you travel. “

Four emergency workers were attempting to reach people trapped by the flood waters near Pfaffenhofen in the region of Bavaria when their boat capsized. Three of the crew managed to pull themselves to safety, while the fourth, a 42-year-old, was found dead in the water by other rescue workers.

The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said on X: “I am saddened by the death of a firefighter in Pfaffenhofen. My thoughts are with his family and colleagues. “We owe thanks and respect to the rescue workers and helpers who are fighting the consequences of the floods in many places.”

A rescue operation was underway to find another volunteer firefighter in Offingen, Bavaria. The 22-year-old fell into the flood waters after his vessel capsized overnight, local police said. Heavy rains that started on Friday have caused flooding across the southern states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

The German rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, said on Sunday that the rail link between Stuttgart and Augsburg was closed due to the severe weather. Two carriages of a high-speed train travelling on the line derailed after a landslide, according to media reports.

Several districts in Bavaria have declared emergencies due to high water levels. Parts of Germany’s Rhine River have been closed to ships due to heavy rainfall, authorities said.

“Shipping is suspended along the Upper Rhine,” a spokesperson of the German waterway authority told the Reuters news agency. “Critical water levels were exceeded here.” The Middle Rhine, which runs between the western German cities of Bonn and Mainz, could also be closed on Wednesday.

“However, according to the current prognosis this [closure] will not last very long,” the spokesperson said.