The President, Sheikh Khalifa, has sent messages of condolences to German leaders after severe flooding led to the death of more than 150 people. Sheikh Khalifa sent the note to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, also sent messages of sympathy and concern. More than 150 people have died and hundreds are missing after major flooding swamped parts of western Europe. The hardest hit areas were in western Germany, where most of the deaths were reported. Around 1,000 German soldiers were deployed to help with rescue operations and rubble-clearing. Streets and houses were under water, cars overturned and trees uprooted, while some districts were cut off by landslides. The floods disrupted rail, road and river transport in Germany's most populous region. <br/>