Storm and tornadoes hit Germany: there are fatalities and injuries - PHOTO - VIDEO

A number of regions in Germany were hit on the evening of August 19 and during the night of August 20 by heavy downpours accompanied by gale-force winds, which caused serious damage.

Dozens of buildings were damaged, one person was killed and several others were injured.

In the village of Waldorf in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate, a falling tree crushed two women who, while out for a walk, had tried to take shelter from the bad weather under a canopy with benches. The 58-year-old woman died on the spot, and her 47-year-old companion was taken to the hospital, a police spokesman said.

In the town of Höhr-Grenzhausen, located in the same state, gale-force winds destroyed the walls of houses. At least two buildings were damaged, the dpa agency reports. The damage was caused both by falling parts of facades and scattered debris and by collapsing trees.

In the Westerwald district, the storm damaged homes in several communities and caused a large-scale power outage. In the Bitburg-Prüm district, a tree fell onto a road and railway tracks. On the A61 autobahn in western Germany, a truck overturned due to strong gusts of wind.

Two tornadoes

A tornado swept over Brandenburg, the German Meteorological Service (DWD) confirmed. In Fürstenwalde in the east of this federal state, near the border with Poland, a falling tree pierced the kitchen ceiling of a residential building.

Another tornado was recorded in Wetzlar in the state of Hesse. Its intensity is currently being assessed, the DWD said. According to the fire service, about 60 houses in the city were damaged, and some of them had their roofs completely torn off.

In Thuringia, emergency services were called out because of fallen trees and flooded basements. Fallen trees there damaged several parked cars, but according to preliminary data, no one was injured. In the Bavarian region of Lower Franconia, trees also fell onto roads and cars; no injuries have been reported.

The German Meteorological Service warns that severe storms are still possible in some regions, especially in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

Source: DW