In Germany and Belgium rivers come out of bed, two people lose their lives

Major rains are striking Central Europe, and in Germany and Belgium at least two people have taken their lives.

In western Germany, trees have been uprooted, roads flooded and meteorologists predict bad weather will continue in the coming days. A fireman drowned while trying to help the stranded Altona in Nordrain-Westfalen while a man disappeared in Saxony.

In many areas the water reached a height of three feet [1 m] on several roads, basements were flooded and reported damage to nursing homes.

At Hagen the streams flooded the streets. Near Dusseldorf, firefighters used ships to rescue three drivers trapped in their cars in a flooded highway tunnel.

Neighboring countries of Saar, Rhineland-Palatinate and Mecklenburg - Pomerania are also on alert. Major storms, with strong winds and hail, are expected to hit the rest of Germany.

In Belgium, especially in Wallonia, many rivers came out of bed and flooded the city of Spa. Hundreds of residents were forced to flee their homes. According to foreign media, a man's body was found on the Meuse River, near a dam in the Profiteville community. The circumstances in which this man lost his life remain unclear. The water level has risen alarmingly in the Meuse branches.