Emergency rescuer dies in south Germany floods

A firefighter has died in Germany during a rescue operation to help people caught in the floods that have hit parts of the country's south.

The firefighter was in a rubber dinghy with three other rescuers in the town of Pfaffenhofen in Bavaria late on Saturday night when the vessel capsized.

His body was found in the early morning on Sunday, according to a spokesman for the Pfaffenhofen district office.

The three other firefighters were rescued. They had been on their way to rescue a family in the severely flooded area. There were no details on what happened to the family.

Fire brigades and other emergency helpers have been working constantly since the heavy rains, which have not stopped since Friday.

The Swabian Alps south of Stuttgart, as well as the region around Augsburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg and Regensburg are particularly at risk from the showers and thunderstorms on Sunday.

A disaster alert has been issued in several districts of Bavaria.

Germany's army has stepped in to help as rivers in the region have swelled. Many hundreds of people have been evacuated and a prison was evacuated in Memmingen to the west of Munich, with its 100 prisoners being taken in by institutions nearby.