After heavy rainfall that caused flooding and landslides in the western German state of Saarland, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and state Premier Anke Rehlinger will visit the region on Saturday to assess the situation.

The situation had eased somewhat by early Saturday morning, according to the police.

"The water levels of the Saar and other bodies of water are peaking or beginning to fall," said a spokesman for the district's technical operations centre.

However, the rescue services were still on a large-scale operation. The exact extent of the damage must still be properly assessed, he said.

The flood is a type that occurs every 20 to 50 years, according to the State Office for Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety.

The German Weather Service (DWD) measured more than 100 litres of rain per square metre in less than 24 hours. By comparison, 74 litres of rain per square metre were measured in Saarland for all of April.

As of now, no lives are known to have been lost.

The police in Saarland recorded around 1,000 deployments by early Saturday morning, in addition to thousands of deployments by fire brigades and other aid organisations.

Numerous roads in Saarland are still closed and rail traffic is also restricted, according to railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DB). It initially advised against non-essential travel to the Saarland.

Officials said that 220 people were accommodated in a gymnasium in Saarburg-Beurig. A retirement home was also evacuated in Saarburg and a hotel in Trittenheim on the Middle Moselle. Around 50 people were taken to temporary accommodation in a gymnasium.

Scholz cancelled an election campaign appearance planned for Saturday to visit the affected region.

As some regions were expected to begin clean-up work, others reported the situation remained tense on Saturday morning.

In the Trier-Saarburg district, local administrators said the water levels on the two rivers remain high.

Due to a defective barrage, there could be a backwater on the Moselle River thus flooding in the communities in question. The emergency services are reportedly being further increased.

Many houses in the Ruwer Valley are said to be underwater. The exact number was not initially known.

The DWD cancelled all severe weather warnings in Germany early on Saturday morning.

As a result, there were no longer any warnings of "extremely heavy continuous rain" in Saarland or Rhineland-Palatinate, according to the DWD.

After a restless night, many people in the affected regions will begin to clean up on Saturday.

Three foreign nationals were killed in a shooting attack in central Afghanistan's Bamyan province.

The victims are confirmed to be Spanish, two of them women, a local police official said on Saturday.

Four foreign nationals were also wounded in the attack, respectively, from Spain, Norway, Australia, and Lithuania, Xinhua news agency reported.

Out of the four foreigners, two were women, Bamyan's provincial police spokesperson Muhammad Khawani Rasa told Xinhua.

Besides the foreign nationals, one Afghan was killed while three others were injured in the shooting attack, Ministry of Interior Affairs Spokesperson Mufti Abdul Mateen Qani said on social media platform X on Friday.

Four suspects have been arrested, Qani added.

Heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides in the western German state of Saarland.

Buildings in the state capital of Saarbrucken and other municipalities had to be evacuated due to rising water levels.

The state Interior Ministry spoke of a "widespread flooding situation", with a focus on the southeastern part of the state.

People in the city of Saarbrucken have been advised to avoid basements, bodies of water, and flooded areas due to persistent heavy rain.

"Flood waves can come suddenly, banks can collapse," the city announced on Friday evening.

"Crossing flooded streets should be avoided at all costs -- both on foot and by car."

Therefore, citizens were warned to stay away from the affected areas and, if necessary, spend the night elsewhere.

A Ministry Spokesperson said that the districts of Neunkirchen, Saarpfalz, and Saarbrucken regional associations were particularly affected. There was initially no news of any casualties.

Apart from Saarbrucken and Neunkirchen, the situation was tense in Eppelborn, St. Wendel, Saarlouis, and Merzig. In some places, residents had to be evacuated from their flats in isolated streets. Some retirement homes were also affected.

Increased flooding is still expected, especially in the districts of Lauterbach, Ludweiler, Geislautern, and Wehrden. There were no reports of injuries so far, the Ministry Spokesman added.

In Volklingen, streets have been disconnected from the power grid due to flooding.

However, the drinking water supply has been secured, the town announced late Friday evening.

"In Volklingen, millions of euros worth of damage is expected, especially in the private sector," the municipality said.

"The extent of the damage is not yet foreseeable."

Officials are considering requesting assistance from neighbouring federal states.

Saarbrucken declared a major damage situation, as did several districts.

Several buildings in the city had to be evacuated. The city set up alternative accommodation in schools and a citizens' hotline. Those affected were asked to take only the essentials with them.

The German Weather Service warned of heavy continuous rain through the early hours of Saturday, especially in the areas west of the Rhine. After that, the rain is expected to ease slowly.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz cancelled an election campaign appearance planned for Saturday in Saarland.

Instead, he will visit Saarland with state premier Anke Rehlinger to get an idea of the situation on the ground, a government spokesperson announced in Saarbrucken on Friday evening.

The state government has initiated the first steps towards emergency financial aid.

In a meeting late on Friday evening, the Council of Ministers declared a so-called "elementary event of supra-local importance".

According to the State Chancellery, this means that state aid can be granted.

In addition, municipalities could deviate from budget-balancing regulations due to the extraordinary emergency.

"Many Saarlanders are worried about their homes and possessions or have already suffered severe damage," Rehlinger said.

"To ensure that no time is lost, the state government has taken decisions at short notice to assist to repair the damage caused."

The US government is calling on its citizens to be vigilant due to possible terrorist attacks against the LGBTQI+ community worldwide.

"Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against US citizens and interests, the Department of State advises US citizens overseas to exercise increased caution," the US Department of State wrote in a global security advisory on Friday.

It said it was aware of the increased potential for violence against the LGBTQI+ community inspired by foreign terrorist organisations. US citizens should be vigilant at Pride events, the advisory recommended.

The abbreviation LGBTQI+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and intersex people. The plus sign is meant to include other gender identities.

The Indian Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, on Saturday, urged Indian students to remain indoors following a series of mob attacks on foreign students.

This advisory came in the wake of several attacks on students from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, sparked by videos of a fight between Kyrgyz and Egyptian students that surfaced online on May 13.

The Embassy shared a message on its official X handle: "We are in touch with our students. The situation is presently calm, but students are advised to stay indoors for the moment and get in touch with the Embassy in case of any issues. Our 24×7 contact number is 0555710041."

Following the advisory, Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar retweeted the message, saying: "Monitoring the welfare of Indian students in Bishkek. Situation is reportedly calm now. Strongly advise students to stay in regular touch with the Embassy."

The Embassy and the Ministry of External Affairs are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety and security of Indian students in Kyrgyzstan.