BERLIN ( Associated Press) – A tornado hit the western German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring dozens of people as it blew down roofs, felled trees and sent miles of flying debris, officials said.
Meteorologists had warned that heavy rain and hail were expected in western and central Germany on Friday, with winds up to 130 kilometers per hour (81 mph). Thursday’s storm had already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees on railway tracks and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in West Germany.
Paderborn police said 43 people were injured in the storm that hit the city. Thirty were undergoing treatment in hospitals and 10 of them were seriously injured.
Police said a woman’s life was in danger.
He urged people to stay in their homes so as not to hamper the rescue efforts or put themselves in danger.
A damaged car is seen after a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Lino Mirgeler/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: The Associated Press/Lino Mirgeler
A firefighter is seen near a car damaged after a suspected tornado in Lippstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Friso Gentsch
Firefighters clear debris after a suspected tornado in Lippstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Friso Gentsch
A fire engine is seen near an uprooted tree after a suspected tornado in Lippstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Friso Gentsch
Cars drive on the flooded B7 road on Friday, May 20, 2022 in Hubelrath district, Düsseldorf, Germany. (David Young/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/David Young
A volunteer rescued buzzard is held after a suspected tornado in Lipstadt, Germany, on Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Friso Gentsch
People stand in front of a house damaged after a suspected tornado in Lippstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Friso Gentsch
Debris stands in front of the Catholic Church of St. Clemens, whose spire was destroyed, in Hellinghausen, near Lipstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gents/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Friso Gentsch
The roof of a construction machinery dealer stands across the building during a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. A tornado swept through the west German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring at least 30 people as it blew up roofs, toppling trees and sending debris flying for miles, officials said. (Lino Mirgeler/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: The Associated Press/Lino Mirgeler
Two trucks overturned after a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. A tornado swept through the western German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring at least 30 people as it blew down roofs, downed trees and sent miles of flying debris. , officials said. (Lino Mirgeler/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: The Associated Press/Lino Mirgeler
A destroyed solar cell module lies on the side of the road next to a fallen tree during a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. A tornado swept through the West German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring at least 30 people. Officials said roofs were toppled, trees downed and debris flying for miles. (Lino Mirgeler/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: The Associated Press/Lino Mirgeler
Damaged cars stand on a road during a storm in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. A tornado swept through the western German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring at least 30 people as it blew up roofs, felled trees and sent debris. Flying for miles, officials said. (Lino Mirgeler/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: The Associated Press/Lino Mirgeler
A view of a tree trunk broken by severe weather in front of the front of a house in Lippstadt, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. (Friso Gentsch/dpa via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Friso Gentsch
Parts of a roof hang in front of a car dealer due to bad weather in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. Towards the eastern parts of the city through the middle of Paderborn,” police said. (Lino Mirgeler/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: The Associated Press/Lino Mirgeler
A piece of bread lies among the rubble on the side of a city road in Paderborn, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. Meteorologists had warned that heavy rain and hail were expected in western and central Germany on Friday, producing gusts of wind. Up to 130 kph (81 mph). (Lino Mirgeler/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: The Associated Press/Lino Mirgeler
In this long exposure photo, dark clouds pass over a street illuminated by a car in Ebbing, Germany, Friday, May 20, 2022. The German Weather Service (DWD) is expecting thunderstorms in parts of Bavaria in the evening hours. (Nicholas Armor/DPA via Associated Press)
Photo: Associated Press/Nicholas Armor
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Damage from the heavy storm was also reported in the nearby town of Lipstadt. The minaret of a church in the town was toppled and the German news agency DPA reported that more than 100 people were temporarily trapped in a local open-air pool as trees fell.
The regional fire service said all available rescue workers were being deployed to the area.
Authorities in Bavaria said 14 people were injured on Friday when a wooden hut collapsed during a storm in Lake Braunbach, south of Nuremberg. The injured also included several children and a 37-year-old woman, who was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries.
Two French nationals were killed after being hit by a gust of wind shortly after taking off on Thursday from an airfield in Ballendaed, 175 kilometers (109 miles) southwest of Berlin, police said. Police in the state of Saxony-Anhalt said both the 59-year-old pair were urged to disembark because of a sudden change in weather forecast.
Police said that soon after the warning, “they seem to have been hit by a gust of wind, which caused the paraglider to fall, and the aerial vehicle crashed onto a field from a height of about 40 meters (131 ft),” the police said. Police said.
Schools in the western city of Cologne closed before noon on Friday to give students time to get home safely before the storm struck.
All schools in the south of Ahrweiler County were closed on Friday. Last summer, the region was hit by flash floods in July that killed more than 130 people.
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