BERLIN (AP) – A tornado passed through the western German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring dozens of people as it blew up roofs, felled trees and sent debris flying for miles, authorities said.
Meteorologists have warned that heavy rain and hail are expected in West and Central Germany on Friday, with storms causing gusts of up to 130 km / h (81 mph). Storms on Thursday have already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees that have collapsed on railways and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in West Germany.
Paderborn police say 43 people were injured in a storm that hit the city. Thirty were treated in hospitals and 10 were seriously injured.
One woman is in danger of death, police said.
They urged people to stay in their homes so as not to interfere with rescue efforts or endanger themselves.
Severe storm damage has also been reported in the nearby town of Lipstadt. A church bell tower in the city was demolished and the German news agency dpa reported that more than 100 people were temporarily detained in a local outdoor pool after fallen trees blocked the exit.
The regional fire service said all available rescuers had been sent to the area.
Authorities in Bavaria said 14 people were injured on Friday when a wooden hut trying to shelter collapsed during a storm in Lake Brombach, south of Nuremberg. Among the injured are several children and a 37-year-old woman who was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Police say two French citizens have died after their motorized paraglider was caught in a strong gust of wind shortly after taking off on Thursday from Balenstedt Airport, 175 kilometers (109 miles) southwest of Berlin. Police in the state of Saxony-Anhalt said the couple, both 59, had been called to land due to a forecast of drastic weather changes.
Shortly after the warning, “they appear to have been hit by a gust of wind that caused the paraglider to collapse and the aircraft crashed into a field about 40 meters (131 feet) high,” police said.
Schools in the western city of Cologne closed before noon on Friday to give students time to return safely before the storms hit.
Further south in Ahrweiler County, all schools remained closed on Friday. More than 130 people died in the region last summer after being hit by a sudden flood in July.
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