Heavy rains across parts of Europe this week have caused rivers to overflow and flash floods to inundate small towns in Germany and France at least five people are reported to have been killed in several towns hit by flash floods and forcing some to seek refuge on rooftops Weather forecasters are warning of more  heavy rainfall over the next few days We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com A collection of winning and honored images from this year’s nature-photo competition A collection of amazing recent images made with the Hubble Space Telescope Mourners of Pope Francis gathered at the Vatican scenes from the the second weekend of Coachella 2025 and landscapes of the Earth’s arctic and subarctic regions Violent storms and downpours have lashed parts of northern Europe in recent days breaching the banks of the Seine in Paris and flooding rural roads and villages Photograph: Marijan Murat/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Ludovic Letot/AFP/Getty Images we’d like to thank you for joining the debate - we’re glad you’ve chosen to participate and we value your opinions and experiences Please choose your username under which you would like all your comments to show up Please keep your posts respectful and abide by the community guidelines - and if you spot a comment you think doesn’t adhere to the guidelines please use the ‘Report’ link next to it to let us know Please preview your comment below and click ‘post’ when you’re happy with it Germany has declared a second disaster area after heavy rain caused more flooding devastating the towns of Triftern and Simbach am Inn in southern Bavaria At least four people have been killed in the floods Firemen found three women in the basement of a flooded house in the town of Simbach am Inn and emergency services found a drowned woman hanging over a tree trunk in a stream in the nearby village of Julbach adding that her house had apparently collapsed A resident of Simbach am Inn told Reuters: "The water came so fast it was up at the first floor within five minutes We saved ourselves by going into the attic and attached red cloths to a broom-handle and waved out of the window for people to come and get us and after about three hours my grandson climbed on to the roof and the helicopter then reacted." At least two people are missing in the district of Rottal-Inn "We're expecting the worst," police spokesman Michael Emmer said adding divers were searching for those missing Weather forecasters said more rain was expected in the region on Thursday (2 June) Earlier this week, three people were killed in floods in the south-western German state of Baden-Wurttemberg and a young girl was killed by a train as she took shelter from the rain under a railway bridge Floods have also devastated regions across France — in some areas travellers trapped on a submerged highway had to be rescued by soldiers Meteorologists said more bad news is coming — the waters are expected to keep rising for days Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor Rivers in Europe have burst their banks from Paris to the southern German state of Bavaria trapping thousands more in homes or cars and forcing everything from subway lines to castles to the Louvre to shut down PARIS - Rivers in Europe have burst their banks from Paris to the southern German state of Bavaria French authorities were especially concerned about the rising waters of the Seine River which winds through Paris and was expected to peak Friday Paris police upgraded their flood warning to "orange" - the second-highest level - for areas in the French capital near the Seine which has already overflowed its banks in many places The warning means floods could have "a significant impact" on buildings and people The Louvre Museum in Paris says it will be closed Friday to remove artworks from rooms threatened by rising waters from the Seine and preventatively shift them upstairs Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," is staying put on an upper floor will also be closed Friday to prepare for potential flooding Tourist boat cruises in Paris have been cancelled and roads in and around the capital are under water A suburban train line that runs alongside the Seine in central Paris serving popular tourist sites like the Eiffel Tower was shut down but other subway lines were running normally Days of heavy rains have caused exceptional delays to the French Open tennis tournament and may force it into a third week France's meteorological service said Thursday that severe flood watches remained in effect in one Paris-area region: Seine-et-Marne 44-year-old Australian tourist visiting Paris said she was "very surprised" to see the Seine so high "I remember walking down below (before) and it was very easy," she said emergency workers evacuated residents in Nemours were facing water levels unseen since 1910 when a massive flood swamped the French capital The situation improved somewhat late Thursday yet about 21,000 homes were still without electricity the renowned castles of Chambord and Azay-le-Rideau were closed because of floods in their parks The rains that have fallen across Western Europe this week have already killed six people including an 86-year-old woman who died in her flooded home in Souppes-sur-Loing five people were killed as floods swept through the towns of Simbach am Inn and Triftern near the Austrian border French President Francois Hollande said a "natural disaster" will be formally declared next week for areas most affected by the flooding - and a separate fund will help villages and small towns deal with the damages telling reporters Thursday that she "mourns for those for whom the help has come too late The floodwaters in Bavaria receded somewhat and disaster relief crews were helping to clear the wreckage Belgium endured a fourth day of heavy rain After widespread flooding hit northern Antwerp and the west of Flanders early in the week waters kept rising in eastern areas around Limburg and Liege Several neighborhoods have had to be evacuated as cellars flooded and streets were submerged A major train line linking Limburg to the Belgian capital of Brussels was temporarily suspended Thursday David Rising in Berlin and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed to this report An 86-year old woman was found dead in her flooded house near Paris and a man on horseback drowned on Thursday.  Apparently the first two casualties in France from the heavy rains that caused the Loire and Seine rivers to burst their banks, Reuters reports Stranded motorists were rescued by soldiers as flood waters rose while in Paris a metro line was shut and the Louvre museum closed.  At least five people have been killed in floods in southern Germany's Bavaria state and thousands of households were cut off from electricity, according to Reuters.  Firemen found the bodies of three women in the basement of a flooded house near Munich emergency services discovered the body of a drowned woman draped over a tree trunk in a stream At least four people were missing in the district of Rottal-Inn "We're expecting the worst," police spokesman Michael Emmer told Reuters.  Submerged: the Bavarian village of Simbach am Inn THE diocese in Europe is encouraging its flock to pray for communities struggling to cope after flash floods broke river banks and devastated towns and cities across the continent “Our diocesan Tweeters team are busy urging people to pray for people affected by the storms,” a spokesman for the diocese said At least 18 people have died in Central Europe and many more are injured or reported missing after a week of heavy rain caused severe flooding from France to Ukraine Tens of thousands have been forced to abandon their homes the floods in Germany have not directly affected any of our churches or congregations,” he said “There was some damage done to St Boniface Eleven people were killed in southern Germany and lightning strikes in the west of the country injured 51 people an 86-year-old woman drowned; a man in his seventies died after falling from a horse into a river south-east of Paris said on Tuesday: “Our diocese has close links of fellowship across the countries we serve and prayers are with people severely affected by the storms and floods in France Residents in the French capital began to evacuate their homes last Friday as the River Seine rose to more than 20 feet — its highest level in 35 years — and flooded streets and Orsay museums were all closed to the public as staff moved precious works of art to higher ground declared a state of emergency in the worst-affected areas About 17,000 homes in the country are still without electricity Churches in France and Germany have joined the call for prayers The Leader of the Munich International Community Church in Bavaria told Premier Christian Radio on Friday that people should pray “for an eagerness from Christians in that area — individually or as church families — to be involved and to provide help The leader of the Elim Evangelical Church in Paris said: “I think there is a lot of help being given by local churches and most denominations are trying their best to answer the needs Water levels began to recede this week though it is thought that the damage will cost insurers millions A missionary priest in the town of Nemours told The Daily Telegraph that he would have to replace all the electrical installations in his church after it was flooded Nicholas Reed Langen examines the Supreme Court ruling on gender We are a partnership of six diverse and welcoming congregations in the northern districts of Milton Keynes offering a rich tapestry of worshipping traditions – Anglican and PCC wish to appoint an Associate Priest within the Ripon Cathedral benefice responsible for the parish of Sharow with Copt Hewick and Marton-le-Moor run jointly by Sarum College and The Church Times tickets available This online seminar, run jointly by Modern Church and The Church Times discusses the theology underpinning the drive for growth tickets available Non-subscribers can read four articles for free each month At least 12 people killed across northern Europe in week of storms that have flooded villages and wrecked roads Flood waters flowing through Paris have swelled the river Seine to 6 metres above its normal level, with a peak level of up to 6.5 metres expected later on Friday, as the Louvre museum closed its doors to the public to allow priceless artworks to be moved up from its basement. After days of torrential rains, the French government has issued an orange alert for central Paris. The river’s record high was 8.6 metres during the devastating floods of 1910. Read moreOfficials at the Louvre said about 250,000 artworks were located in flood-risk areas a move officials described as precautionary but we’re closed today,” a Louvre employee told visitors “We have to evacuate masterpieces from the basement.” which holds the world’s greatest collection of impressionist masterpieces Both museums organised drills this year to deal with floods. In an alert scenario, the Louvre has 72 hours and the Musée d’Orsay 96 hours to get works held in their underground reserves to safety the Louvre evacuated the whole of the underground section of its new Islamic art galleries in a day said it is equipped with anti-flooding pumps and watertight doors A week of storms has killed at least 12 people across northern Europe closed schools and left many stranded on rooftops Sinkholes and landslides follow flooding in France and Germany. GuardianTen people have died in Germany and six days of heavy rain in France forced the evacuation of thousands in riverside towns south of Paris and in the Loire valley The body of an 86-year-old woman was found in her flooded house in Souppes-sur-Loing in central France where some towns have been hit by the worst flooding in more than 100 years A man on horseback died after he was swept away in a swollen river in Evry-Gregy-sur-Yerre said she feared more bodies would be found as waters recede in French villages the water had risen so high that only the roofs of cars could be seen above the surface along the high street Read morePeople in Nemours were evacuated after the Loing river burst its banks and submerged the high street Rescuers had to use dinghies to reach stranded residents in streets turned into rivers “In 60 years of living here I have never seen this,” said Sylvette Gounaud dangerously swollen rivers have severely damaged Bavarian towns Six people have been killed in and around Simbach am Inn including three women from the same family – a mother grandmother and daughter – who had been trapped in their house Two other elderly people were found dead in their homes and a woman’s body was discovered caught on a tree trunk in the neighbouring town of Julbach A damaged street in Simbach am Inn Photograph: Lukas Barth/AFP/Getty ImagesThe force of the water upended cars and washed away parts of the streets; a thick layer of mud was left throughout the town by the subsiding water Huge piles of wood and rubbish deposited by the torrent were visible next to badly damaged homes and offices Cars and houses buried in German floods GuardianEarlier this week, four people had been killed in the southern Baden-Württemberg region A further two people have died in flooding in eastern Romania including a man who was ripped from his bicycle by a torrent of water in the eastern village of Ruginesti The outbreak of severe weather began at the weekend with lightning strikes that left several people Forecasters in France and Germany have warned of more downpours over the next 24 hours.