Rescue operations are still underway in western Germany and Belgium as hundreds remain missing following flash floods. Regional authorities say several people died after their houses collapsed and rescuers rushed to help others still trapped in their homes. As many as 1,300 people remain missing in Germany and five people are still missing in Belgium, according to the Associated Press.
Chancellor Angela Merkel said the catastrophic flooding, which turned homes into death traps, affected hundreds of thousands of people, NBC News reports.
The latest measures to address the second wave of Covid-19 infections in Europe could lead to higher unemployment, the permanent closure of many businesses and even more national debt. The French statistics office said before news of the latest lockdown that it expects economic activity to settle at "5 percent below its pre-crisis level" during the third quarter. Data from the German statistics office showed that the restaurant industry experienced a more-than 40 percent drop in turnover between March and August compared with the same period a year earlier.