BERLIN: A storm that swept across parts of Germany generated three tornadoes, the country’s weather service said Saturday. More than 40 people were injured in one western city.
Meteorologists had warned of heavy rainfall, hail and strong gusts of wind in western and central Germany on Friday, and people in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia were advised to stay home. Storms on Thursday had already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees that toppled onto rail tracks and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in western Germany.
The German Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes in North Rhine-Westphalia — in Paderborn, in nearby Lippstadt, and on the edge of the town of Hoexter, news agency dpa reported.
Police in Paderborn said that 43 people were injured there, 30 of whom were taken to hospitals. The storm loosened roof tiles, brought down scaffolding, overturned cars and sent tree branches crashing into windows.
Further south, authorities in Bavaria said 14 people were injured Friday when the wooden hut they were trying to shelter in collapsed during a storm at Lake Brombach, south of Nuremberg.