Devastating flash floods due to intense rainfall have swept through several western European countries in the past few days, killing more than 150 and causing widespread damage.
The death toll climbed to 135 and more fatalities are feared in Germany, local media reported on Saturday, adding at least 21 lives were lost in Belgium.
Other countries including the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland are also affected with hundreds of thousands of people being evacuated.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on Friday said some Western European countries received up to two months' worth of rainfall in two days.
Destroyed houses are seen in Schuld, Germany, Thursday, July 15, 2021. /CFP
German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, which are badly hit, reported at least 43 and 90 deaths, respectively.
In the district of Ahrweiler, Rhineland-Palatinate, up to 1,300 people are reported to be unaccounted for and around 3,500 are being treated in care facilities.
In Belgium, Prime Minister Alexander De Crooa declared July 20 a national day of mourning for the victims.
"We are still waiting for the final toll, but this could be the most catastrophic flooding our country has ever seen," he said.
At least 20 people are reported missing now in Belgium.
The devastation of the floods, attributed by meteorologists to a climate change-driven shift in the jet stream, has brought inland water that once stayed at sea.
(With input from Xinhua and Reuters)