A huge sinkhole has formed after a quarry dam collapsed in Germany as Europe continues to be devastated by extreme weather.
Homes and part of a castle in Blessem, near Cologne, were destroyed after heavy rain saw the River Erft burst its banks before the quarry gave way on Friday.
Geographer Matthias Habel said the river rushed into the gravel pit which eventually could no longer withstand the water pressure.
The sinkhole is growing bigger with the erosion currently spanning over 300 metres.
It is understood several people have died as a result of the collapse, while the death toll for the ongoing floods across the country's western region has reached at least 110.
This comes as parts of Europe including Belgium and Netherlands were also hit by devastating floods.
Head of the local authority Frank Rock told broadcaster n-tv he could not give a number on exactly how many had lost their lives in the town, though confirmed 50 residents were evacuated last night.
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A further 15 more were waiting to be rescued, he added.
"One has to assume that under the circumstances some people didn’t manage to escape," he said.
Aerial photos show the devastating impact of the sudden erosion with homes and cars having been dragged into it.
Rescuers were said to have moved quickly to rescue those trapped inside their homes.
A district spokesperson warned people not to return to their homes if they have managed to escape, saying there is "still danger to life".
It comes as more than 1,300 people remain missing in the Ahrweiler district of western Germany, the local government said on Facebook this morning.
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of several villages below the Steinbach reservoir near the city amid fears the dam there could break.
One dam close to the Belgium border, the Rurtalsperre, was flooded overnight while another, the Steinbachtalsperre, is unstable.
Mobile phone networks have collapsed in some of the flood-stricken regions across Germany, which means that family and friends were unable to track down their loved ones.
Entire communities lay in ruins after swollen rivers swept through towns and villages in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.
Hundreds of soldiers are helping police with the rescue efforts, using tanks to clear roads of landslides and fallen trees, while helicopters winched those stranded on rooftops to safety.
In the town of Schuld yesterday, houses were reduced to piles of debris and broken beams.
Roads were blocked by wreckage and fallen trees and fish flapped and gasped on puddles of water in the middle of the street.
"We have had two or three days of constant rain. Or maybe four, I lost track," said Klaus Radermacher, who has been living in Schuld for 60 years.
"We were powerless against it. It came so fast, I've never seen anything like it."
More rain is forecast over the weekend.
