- Storm over Germany - Eurocity collides with tree
After the heat, severe storms with heavy rain and hail swept across parts of Germany. Particularly affected in the evening were North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg. Emergency services reported flooded basements and flooded streets in these areas. No serious injuries or fatalities have been reported so far. The storms followed a heatwave that reached up to 36.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday in the Rhineland-Palatinate town of Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, which was the hottest day of the year so far, according to provisional data from the German Weather Service.
Tree blocks Eurocity train
In Bavaria, an Eurocity train collided with a tree that had fallen onto the tracks and came to a halt. This was reported by a spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn. Around 260 people were on board the train near Bad Endorf (district of Rosenheim) at the time of the incident. According to the Federal Police, there were no injuries. The section of track between Bad Endorf and Prien near Lake Chiemsee has been closed since around 7 pm. The track is expected to be cleared in the early hours of Wednesday morning, as the overhead line is damaged and needs to be repaired. Passengers were taken to Prien by minibuses. Long-distance trains were turned back or ended their journeys early.**
Water in basements and on streets
In Baden-Württemberg, the district of Karlsruhe was particularly affected by heavy storms. The flood control center warned in the evening that due to locally heavy rain, water levels in some streams and small rivers in Baden-Württemberg could rise significantly overnight and into Wednesday.**
The Karlsruhe police are asking people to avoid non-essential travel due to the stormy weather. The district fire department association of Karlsruhe reported just before midnight that firefighters had completed over 500 deployments. Around 300 more are still open, but they are not time-critical. Overall, several hundred people are involved in the operations.
In some places, water is standing half a meter high on the streets or in basements, a police spokesperson said. The area around Bretten and Bruchsal was particularly affected.
Around 25 residents had to leave a care home
Heavy rain also led to hundreds of fire brigade deployments in East Frisia. The city of Aurich was particularly affected, a spokesperson for the operations center in Wittmund said. Around 25 residents had to be taken to a sports hall from a care home in the evening, as ceiling panels had come loose. It is still unclear how long the people will have to stay in the sports hall. The German Red Cross is caring for the residents. In an Aurich hospital, firefighters and the Technical Relief Agency are working to prevent an evacuation.
Flooded basements also in Duisburg
In North Rhine-Westphalia, a spokesperson for the Duisburg fire department said in the evening: "All available deployment forces are in action." Almost the entire city area is affected. The clear focus of the deployments is water-related problems - flooding in basements and cellars. The police also reported several flooded sections on the A59 and A42 motorways near Duisburg. Aquaplaning is warned against.
In the aftermath of the storms, the Federal Police were deployed to assist with traffic control and crisis management in several affected areas.
During their rescue operations, Federal Police officers helped evacuate residents from flooded basements in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia.
