Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet
Get our free Climate email
Germany and Belgium have been hit by record rainfall this week, with at least 120 people killed and hundreds more missing as rivers burst their banks, buildings collapsed and cars were swept away by flood water.
Most fatalities occurred in Germany, with the worst-affected states being North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate but the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland have also been hard-hit by torrential summer downpours as flood warnings are issued and thousands of people are evacuated.
The disaster comes in the same week that passengers were forced to wade through waist-high dirty water to access the New York City subway and whole swathes of London were left underwater by unseasonable extreme weather, leading many to conclude that the climate crisis is to blame.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies