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Trees uprooted in Lippstadt after the tornado
Photo: IMAGO/Achim Duwentäster / IMAGO/teamwork
The storm on Friday evening caused millions of dollars in damage and killed at least one person.
Another person is in mortal danger.
The German Weather Service (DWD) has now confirmed three tornadoes: The hurricanes raged in Paderborn, Lippstadt and in the Lütmarsen district of the city of Höxter.
There were two other suspected cases for Ratingen near Düsseldorf and from the Sauerland, but they are still being checked.
The three confirmed tornadoes formed in connection with particularly strong thunderstorms, according to a DWD spokesman.
They appeared on a small scale.
He has not yet provided any information on the wind speeds.
There was also precipitation of sometimes 30 to 40 liters per square meter in a short time during the storm on Friday afternoon and evening.
Downtown in Paderborn still a danger area
According to Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU), more than 7,500 firefighters and aid organizations were deployed in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to the city, 13 people were seriously injured in the tornado in Paderborn, including one seriously injured.
According to police director Ulrich Ettler, the woman was operated on in a Bielefeld hospital that night, but is still in mortal danger.
A total of 43 were injured, said Mayor Michael Dreier (CDU) at a press conference.
The police still strongly recommend avoiding downtown Paderborn.
Not all areas have yet been secured, and the clean-up work could also be hampered.
Those who do not necessarily have to go to the city should drive around the areas extensively.
The police also appealed to the residents: "Onlookers have no business here."
In the Höxter district, where a tornado also raged, the vaccination center was closed so as not to hinder the clean-up work and to keep traffic as low as possible.
14 injured when a wooden hut collapses
The storm also raged in Bavaria.
Middle Franconia was particularly affected: there, for example, fallen trees or covered roofs triggered hundreds of fire brigade operations.
A dozen people were injured when a wooden hut collapsed.
In the rest of Bavaria, the thunderstorms were less severe, the operations centers said.
14 people, including several children, were injured when the wooden hut collapsed in Spalt near the Großer Brombachsee.
A 37-year-old was taken to a clinic with serious injuries, and a child was also flown to the hospital by helicopter.
According to the police spokeswoman, several holidaymakers had apparently sought shelter in the approximately 105 square meter hut in view of the storm that was brewing in Bavaria.
For an unknown reason, it then tipped to the side and collapsed.
A man died in Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate reported the first fatality to date from the storm: According to the police in Koblenz, a 38-year-old suffered an electric shock in Wittgert in the Westerwald on Friday evening in the basement of a friend who was under water after a heavy thunderstorm.
The man fell after being electrocuted and probably hit his head.
Police say attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful.
In Prague, the storm damaged a tent camp for refugees
The storms also caused damage beyond Germany.
In the Czech Republic, the wind reached top speeds of up to 130 km/h.
The country's fire brigades reported over 1000 operations.
Fallen trees damaged cars and blocked road and rail links.
The clean-up work should take all Saturday, according to a fire department spokesman.
The storm damaged a tent camp set up for refugees from Ukraine in the Troja district of Prague.
Some of those housed there had to be taken to safety by bus.
Injuries were initially not reported from the Czech Republic.
jlk/dpa