German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to address the flooding during her US tour

Damaged houses are seen at the Ahr river in Insul, western Germany on Thursday, July 15.
Damaged houses are seen at the Ahr river in Insul, western Germany on Thursday, July 15. (Michael Probst/AP)

At least 46 people have died due to severe flooding in western Europe, caused by what experts described as the heaviest rainfall in a century.

The death toll in the severe flooding in Germany has risen to 40, according to police, with dozens unaccounted for.

Six people have also died in Belgium, bringing the total death toll from the recent flooding in the region to 46.

Up to 70 people are missing in Germany after flash floods swept across western and southern parts of the country, causing buildings to collapse, police said Thursday. Luxembourg and the Netherlands are also affected. 

”In some areas we have not seen this much rainfall in 100 years,” Andreas Friedrich, a German weather service (DWD) spokesman, told CNN. He added that “in some areas we’ve seen more than double the amount of rainfall which has caused flooding and unfortunately some building structures to collapse.”

source: cnn.com