A firefighter died while trying to rescue trapped residents and several thousand people were forced to leave their homes as heavy rain caused flooding in southern Germany. The 42-year-old man who died was in a rescue boat carrying four firefighters that capsized late on Saturday.

A firefighter has died in Germany during a rescue operation to help people caught in the floods that have hit parts of the country's south. The firefighter was in a rubber dinghy with three other rescuers in the town of Pfaffenhofen in Bavaria late on Saturday night when the vessel capsized.

A firefighter died attempting to rescue residents during severe flooding in southern Germany. Thousands were evacuated as heavy rainfall caused major disruptions. Authorities expressed gratitude to rescue workers.

Several districts in the southern Germany region of Bavaria have declared emergencies because of high water levels, after downpours led to the death of a volunteer firefighter. The national weather forecasting service warning of more heavy rains to come.

With the German Weather Service forecasting more rains over these states for the next 24 to 48 hours, severe weather warnings have been issued for over 10 districts in the southern states of Bavaria a

Towns in southern Germany have declared states of emergency as rivers rise following heavy rain, with hundreds

A 22-year-old firefighter and a 43-year-old woman are also missing. Meanwhile, a train carrying 185 passengers derailed on Saturday night as a landslide knocked carriages off a section of track.

Germany continues to battle widespread flooding across its south from heavy rainfall that has disrupted rail transportation and pushed emergency services to their limits. The rescue worker was in the boat with three colleagues when the incident happened on Sunday morning.