The raids focused on a landslide at a mine during last July's deadly floods. Although no one died at the site, the image of the gaping muddy crater was etched in the memory of those who survived and sparked a probe.
The mid-July flash floods in Erftstadt-Blessem caused severe damage and swept away several houses, leaving behind a huge crater. The Dunkel family house is still standing.
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A woman throws rubbish from the window of her home onto a pile of discarded goods in the district of Blessem, in Ergfstadt, Germany, Thursday July 22, 2021. In the flood disaster area of Erftstadt-Blessem, some residents are being allowed back into their homes to clear debris after heavy rains caused devastating floods. (Marius Becker/dpa via AP)
ERFTSTADT, Germany (AP) They escaped with their lives, but little else remains for some residents of Erftstadt-Blessem after the devastating flood that hit their town and other parts of Germany and neighboring countries last week.
Authorities allowed families in the town southwest of Cologne to enter their homes for the first time Thursday so they could survey the wreckage and salvage anything important they could find, which wasn’t much.
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