Dam breach forces evacuation in German area

A dam in the western Germany state of North Rhine-Westphalia burst after a recent storm, forcing many local residents to evacuate in the early hours of Saturday.

Approximately 700 inhabitants in the village of Ophoven, on the border with the Netherlands, had to be evacuated following the burst of a dam in the Rur River.

Many locals took part in the efforts to protect the old town by building sandbag dams on the flooded streets.

Torrential rain turned normally placid rivers into raging torrents in parts of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands this week, dragging cars and roads with them, bringing down whole houses and leaving more than 150 people dead.