BR24live at 4.30pm: Floods in Bavaria – current situation

This article summarizes the flood situation at midday on 3 June. You can find the latest developments on our website Flood index.

The flood situation in Bavaria remains tense, increasingly concentrated on the Danube. He stated that level four had been reached in many cases along the Danube Flood Intelligence Service (HND) Bavaria in the morning. Reporting level 4 means that built-up areas are largely inundated or that water defenses and dams must be used extensively. The Schmutter, Bar, Elm and Amber rivers also cause floods that pose a danger to built-up areas.

More dams broken – hundreds of people at risk

The flood caused a particularly large amount of damage in the Pfaffenhofen region in Upper Bavaria: in Reichershofen there, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal Interior Minister Nancy Weisser (SPD) and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) took a look at the area. The situation in the morning. While the floodwaters in Reichertshofen slowly receded, other dams in the area burst during the night – first in Ebenhausen, then in the Manching area. Hundreds of people are forced to stay on the upper floors of their homes.

People in the Freising area have a similar experience. There was also a dam collapse on the Amber River near Moosburg in the municipality of Wang. Helmut Betz, the district's director, said a few buildings were affected, but they were “completely submerged.”

In some Bavarian regions, temporary power outages occur due to floods. The Swabian districts of Günsburg and Dillingen, as well as the Augsburg region, were particularly affected.

The city of Regensburg warns of tidal waves

The city of Regensburg declared a state of disaster in the morning. The Flood Intelligence Service expects the Danube from Regensburg to carry a similar amount of water as during the 2002 flood, when at the Iron Bridge measuring point the water level was 5.90 meters at 7am. Last Tuesday the average value was around 2.70 metres. The last major flood eleven years ago was exactly 6.82 metres. This time, it is expected that the peak will be reached on Tuesday morning.

It is also possible for flood protection elements (silver sheet piles) to fail. The Integrated Control Center in Regensburg warns about this in an official danger notice. No one should stay in areas around flood protection elements, near a river, in basements and in underground parking lots. According to the city, there is a danger to life. Tsunami and bank collapse are likely, the risk statement continues. The reason for this is not only the very high floods in the Danube, but also the very high groundwater level being pushed up. Oil tanks should also be checked for float. Electricity and heating should be turned off in rooms at risk.

According to forecasts, the highest water level in Regensburg is expected to reach early Tuesday morning, June 4. A hotline has been set up for citizens: those affected can contact the Regensburg city administration with questions at 0941/5078936.

There is a risk of further dam collapses in Swabia

There is a risk of further dam collapses in Swabia due to massive flooding. In the Donau-Reiss region, residents of the cities of Hessisheim and Ochsisheim were again asked to leave the area immediately because dams could give way.

“Flooding should be expected across the entire local area,” the Donaworth District Authority said after issuing warnings on Sunday evening. Emergency shelters were established. Complete evacuation cannot be given to other areas that have been evacuated so far. The situation was exacerbated in the upstream area of ​​Günzburg, because, contrary to expectations, Mendel levels rose significantly again in Burgau and Ovingen. People were evacuated from both places using helicopters and boats.

Schrobenhausen: A 43-year-old man was found dead

There is now a sad certainty about a woman in Schrobenhausen who has been missing since Sunday: the 43-year-old woman's body was discovered in the basement of a house by rescue workers.

According to one of her relatives, she had gone to the basement of an apartment building in Schrobenhausen when the water rose. Divers were called, but they were unable to penetrate the basement. The pumps were deployed this morning and then the body was discovered. After identifying her, police confirmed that she was the missing 43-year-old woman.

The woman is another well-known victim of floods in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. On Sunday morning, a firefighter who died during a rescue operation was found dead in Pfaffenhofen an der Elm. The man capsized in a rubber boat while on a mission with three colleagues. Another firefighter is missing in Bavaria. In addition, two bodies were recovered from an empty basement in Schorndorf, Baden-Württemberg.

Floods: relaxation in several areas

In some Bavarian regions, the situation began to improve. In Landshut, the capital of Lower Bavaria, the water level in the Isar River has fallen slightly recently. In the morning the water level in Landshut-Birket was 3.39 metres. This is 15 cm lower than the previous height of 3.54 metres, which was reached late Sunday afternoon. However, Level 3 flood reporting in Landshut is still significantly exceeded.

In northern Bavaria, signs point to more relaxation. The Bavarian Flood Intelligence Service no longer saw any danger of inundation of built-up areas throughout Upper and Middle Franconia. A corresponding warning was in effect in the areas of Bamberg, Coburg and Nuremberg until the morning. In large parts of Upper and Middle Franconia, warnings are now issued only about overburden and flooding in undeveloped areas. There is no longer any warning for the Kronach, Hof, Vonsiedel and Bayreuth regions.

New rain threatens – authorities warn

But other regions cannot yet breathe a sigh of relief. The German Weather Service (DWD) is forecasting heavy and sometimes heavy rain throughout the day on Monday. The southern half of Bavaria was particularly affected, a DWD spokesman said Monday in Munich. Small hailstones and wind gusts of about 60 kilometers per hour are also likely.

In general, the authorities are urging people to take road and trail closures seriously, follow the instructions of emergency services and not approach water unnecessarily.

Soder: The situation in many places is “dangerous and critical”

Given the tragic situation in the flood areas in the state of Bavaria, Bavarian Prime Minister Söder warned that saving human lives must be an absolute priority. He called on residents to strictly adhere to evacuation instructions. “If such a request comes in to evacuate, take it and implement it,” Soder said at BR. The situation is “dangerous and critical” in many places. Emergency services are available around the clock.

Many railway lines remain restricted

Due to the flood situation in parts of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, Deutsche Bahn continues to advise against trips to southern Germany. The railways said there were cancellations of trains on long-distance lines, and Munich in particular was inaccessible from Stuttgart, Würzburg and Nuremberg. According to information, the restrictions will continue until Monday.

Therefore, there are cancellations on the following flights: Munich-Nuremberg-Erfurt-Berlin, Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Ulm-Augsburg-Munich, Stuttgart-Mannheim-Frankfurt (M), Munich-Lindau-Bregenz-Zürich, Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Kraylsheim-Nuremberg. and Augsburg-Kempten (Allgäu)-Oberstdorf. Trains between Nuremberg and Würzburg were delayed.

Support for Bavaria from North Rhine-Westphalia

Aid for emergency services in Bavaria comes from North Rhine-Westphalia, among other regions. The state is sending five water rescue trains, each with 48 helpers, ten vehicles, eight trailers and six boats, to the flood zone in Landau an der Isar. According to the Interior Ministry in Düsseldorf, the Free State of Bavaria accepted the offer of assistance late Sunday evening. Rescuers were then dispatched and were supposed to provide support in the Free State for 48 hours.

With information from BR correspondents as well as dpa and AFP news agencies