Destroyed houses are seen close to the Ahr river in Schuld, Germany, Thursday, July 15, 2021. Due to heavy rain falls the Ahr river dramatically went over the banks the evening before. (Photo: AP)

The toll from devastating floods in Germany rose to at least 42 on Thursday, police said, with several more people missing as river levels rise.

At least 18 people died in the region around the western town of Ahrweiler alone, local officials reported, with the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia hit hardest by extreme weather afflicting a large swathe of western Europe.