Deadly storm sweeps northern Germany

A low-pressure system deepened rapidly on Thursday, producing a windstorm that left seven people dead across northern and eastern Germany.

Wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour (km/h) were reported in the nation’s capital, Berlin, where one motorist was killed and several other people were injured.

Elsewhere, a tree fell on a car in Hamburg, killing one woman occupant and seriously injuring another.

A lorry driver was killed by a falling tree on the main road in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

And a woman was killed by a falling tree in the Brandenburg region.

There were three similar incidents elsewhere in the north of the country.

The winds were strong enough to result in a temporary suspension of flights at Berlin’s two main airports.

Public transport across the city was also affected, with train services suspended due to concerns about the possibility of trees falling on train tracks.

The Amsterdam-Berlin express was halted soon after crossing into Germany, and approximately 400 passengers had to be evacuated from the train and given shelter in a nearby gymnasium.

The German Meteorological Office issued warnings in advance of the storm and extended those warnings into the overnight period.

The storm weakened slightly as it headed into Poland, where one fatality was reported as winds peaked at 119km/h.

The storm is weakening extensively as it heads across western Russia.