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Major flooding is causing big problems in Germany and its neighbouring countries, Belgium and the Netherlands.

It follows record rainfall in parts of western Europe that has caused major rivers to burst their banks.

A huge rescue effort is underway to help people who are stranded, or whose houses have been flooded or damaged.

More than 150 people have died and many more are still missing.

European leaders have blamed the extreme weather on climate change.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged full support for the people affected, with rescue efforts and reconstruction, saying to the German people that the government "will not leave you alone in this difficult, terrible hour".

"In the hour of need, our country stands together," said the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Friday afternoon. "It's important that we show solidarity for those from whom the flood has taken everything."

Around 15,000 police, soldiers and emergency service workers are at the scene to aid with search and rescue, while helicopters picked stranded residents from roof tops and tanks cleared roads of fallen trees and debris.

The states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland in Germany have been some of the worst affected by the rainfall.

Some schools have been closed, phone networks have been affected, roads and train lines have been badly damaged, and more than 100,000 homes were without power.

In Belgium, the army has been sent to four of the country's 10 provinces to help with rescue and evacuations.

Rail services in the southern half of Belgium have been cancelled because of the bad weather.

The Netherlands has been badly hit too, with flooding rivers damaging many houses in the area of Limburg in the south of the country.

In the Dutch city of Maastricht, 10,000 people were ordered to evacuate.

Heavy rain continued to be a problem to much of western Europe on Thursday and Friday too.