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Flood destroys bridge, people swept away

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Rescuers looks for survivors after sudden flood destroys bridge they were standing on in Germany.
Camera IconRescuers looks for survivors after sudden flood destroys bridge they were standing on in Germany. Credit: EPA

Dozens of German rescue teams are still searching for people who were tossed into a river in Bavaria's Valley of Hell when a sudden flood tore down a bridge they were standing on, the German news agency dpa reports.

Police said rescue operations with about 150 police officers, firefighters and mountaineers were underway and at least eight people had been pulled out of the water in the valley known as Hollentalklamm near Germany's tallest mountain, Zugspitze.

"One has to assume that more people are still missing," spokesman Stefan Sonntag from the Upper Bavaria police headquarters told dpa. The agency later reported that it was likely two more people were missing Monday night.

He said witnesses told them that several people were carried away by the floods when the bridge suddenly collapsed after heavy rain on Monday afternoon.

The Hollentalklamm, or Valley of Hell, is a popular destination for hikers from across the country and abroad.

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Last month, more than 200 people died in deadly floods in western Germany.

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