Germany dam break force people to evacuate

The floodwaters have caused a dam in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia to break, forcing residents in the city of Wassenberg to leave the area.

Rescuers are evacuating about 700 residents in the Ophoven neighborhood of Wassenberg due to the dam failure. The dam lies along the Rur river.

The neighborhoods of Effeld and Steinkirchen, which have a combined total population of almost 1,600 people, could also be impacted by the dam failure. Residents of those neighborhoods have not yet been evacuated.

Earlier, at least 133 people were reported killed due to flooding in the west of the country.