Houses evacuated, landslides, flooded streets, full basements - the fire brigade in Upper Bavaria has been in constant action since Saturday evening after heavy rain.
The situation is dramatic, said a spokesperson for the Traunstein Integrated Control Centre.
The towns of Berchtesgaden and Bischofswiesen in the extreme south-east of Germany's Bavaria were particularly affected. There, the water was pouring out of the mountains, and at the same time the water levels of the river Ache were rising.
Some houses have already been evacuated because of sliding mountain slopes. The district is now coordinating the operation. People in the villages have been asked not to enter their cellars.
"Emergency calls are coming in all the time," said a police spokesman in Rosenheim.
In the Berchtesgadener Land district, all fire brigades were currently required.
"The situation is confusing," the spokesman said. "It is raining heavily."
Federal roads were flooded or closed due to mudslides.
