Severe storm injures nine during handball tournament in Baden-Württemberg
Lightning strikes during a severe storm in Rastatt left eight adults and a 13-year-old child injured, with one person suffering serious injuries.
The severe storm injured nine individuals at a handball tournament campsite, highlighting the immediate dangers posed by extreme weather conditions in populated areas.
“Eight adults and a 13-year-old child were injured after lightning struck during the storm, leaving one person with serious injuries,” stated a police spokesperson.
Lightning strikes injure 10 in southern Germany
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Around 120 teams had travelled to a major handball tournament in Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg when a severe storm triggered dramatic scenes at the sports ground, which was also being used as a campsite.
At around 11 pm, tents at the site were in danger of being torn away by the storm, a police spokesperson told SWR.
As several people tried to secure them, lightning struck the area, leaving eight adults and a 13-year-old child injured. One person was seriously hurt, while the others sustained minor injuries.
A further lightning strike at a sports ground in Münsingen-Dottingen, a district on the Swabian Jura in Baden-Württemberg, left one person injured.
According to police, the lightning struck near a marquee where a 71-year-old woman was preparing food. She suffered an electric shock and was taken to hospital for observation.
Large parts of the town of Münsingen also suffered a power cut on Friday evening. Police said two lightning strikes were probably the cause.
However, it was unclear exactly where the lightning had struck, a police spokesperson said. The substation itself remained undamaged. Initially, police had reported that lightning had hit a substation.
On social networks, numerous residents reported power cuts across the entire city area. According to police, power was restored after about 90 minutes.
The German Weather Service (DWD) said further thunderstorms are possible again on Saturday evening, although they are expected to be less severe than the previous day. For Sunday and Monday, meteorologists are also forecasting extreme heat. The previous June heat record in Baden-Württemberg may even be broken.
Meteorologists are also predicting high temperatures in Bavaria, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Berlin and Brandenburg.