"The Koblenz State Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation on 4 August 2021, on suspicion of causing death and injury due to negligence in the 14-15 August floods in the Ahr river valley. Rhineland-Palatinate Criminal Police Office has taken over the police investigation", the statement reads.
It is noted that "although this was not entirely possible for natural reasons", the inhabitants of the valley could nevertheless be notified of the threat and evacuated. The prosecution suspects that this either did not happen or was done insufficiently or late, which could have been a factor that led to the death of people. The investigation targets the head of administration of Ahrweiler, who, under regional legislation, was the main decision-maker and was responsible for the operation of the rescue services.
A general view of the flood-affected area following heavy rainfalls in Schuld, Germany, on July 15, 2021.
© REUTERS / STAFF
The investigation is also aimed at a member of the crisis headquarters, who, according to the prosecutor's office, was partly responsible for the rescue operation. The police have already gained access to the documents and communication tools of the suspects.
At the same time, the prosecution stressed that this is a preliminary investigation, since the available data on the floods has a lot of "uncertainties and dark spots", and it may take some time before the results are announced.
Deadly floods in Germany were caused by heavy downpours, which mostly affected the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saxony, and Bavaria. The latest death toll surpassed 170 people, while infrastructure sustained billions of euros in damage.
Ahrweiler was the most affected out of all German districts hit by floods, with 141 people dead and over 700 injured.