The flooding in western Germany's Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate claimed at least one life on Sunday, authorities said.
A 67-year-old woman who was injured during a rescue operation in the state capital of Saarbrücken died of her injuries in hospital on Sunday evening, the city said.
The woman was hit by an emergency vehicle on Friday, according to the city of Saarbrücken. Mayor Uwe Conradt said her death had been a terrible tragedy. "I am deeply saddened by this sad news," Conradt said.
Enormous amounts of rain had caused flooding, landslides and overflowing streets and cellars in Saarland and neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate on Friday and overnight into Saturday. The situation had initially eased on Sunday, but later in the day there was again heavy rain in places.
On Sunday afternoon, heavy rain caused flooding and landslides in the Rhineland-Palatinate town of Kirn. The Sulzbach district was the worst affected, said a police spokesman.
Numerous cellars and ground floors there were full of water and mud, and the district was partially impassable. A landslide had also blocked a regional highway, and the road was temporarily closed as a result. According to the police spokesman nobody was injured.
The German Weather Service (DWD) had warned of storms in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland on Sunday. A warning for extreme thunderstorms of the highest level four was issued in both states in the evening.
"In the past 48 hours, we have experienced major and widespread flooding," said on Sunday the premier of Rhineland-Palatinate, Malu Dreyer. "We will only be able to assess the extent of the damage to buildings and transport infrastructure once the acute operations are over."
Clean-up work was underway in Zell an der Mosel in Rhineland-Palatinate on Sunday. People were wading through the water in rubber boots, cellars were being pumped out and damage was being repaired.
Meanwhile, some politicians spoke out in favour of stronger insurance cover against the consequences of storms.
In a German army barracks in Lebach, on the edge of the flood area, three World War II bombs were defused as part of a larger operation.
On Saturday, Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Saarland Premier Anke Rehlinger also visited the site to assess the situation.
Meanwhile, Germany Interior Minister Nancy Faeser promised help: "The federal government is supporting Saarland in particular with strong forces to protect human lives after the severe flooding and to limit the destruction caused by the masses of water as much as possible."
Meteorologists are warning of further storms and lots more rain in the coming week.