Lightning strike injures dozens at German rock festival
June 4, 2016
A lightning strike has left over 50 people injured at a rock music festival in Germany. Deadly weather has swept across Europe, leaving over a dozen dead in Germany, Romania, Belgium and France.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/T. Frey
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At least 51 were injured, a number of them severely, on Friday at the "Rock am Ring" music festival in Mendig, western Germany, due to severe thunderstorms in the area.
"Eight fans have been hospitalized for injuries sustained in a thunderstorm," Rock am Ring organizers tweeted late Friday.
Some 45,000 attendees gathered for "Rock am Ring," although the extreme weather conditions interrupted Friday night's musical acts for at least half an hour.
However, a festival spokeswoman dismissed rumors that the organizers would cancel the rest of the three-day festival, which features American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and British metal band Black Sabbath, with lead singer Ozzy Osbourne.
Devastating storms thrash Germany
Dozens of people have been injured after bad weather struck Germany over the weekend. Lightning and thunderstorms have also affected the neighboring countries of Poland and France.
Image: Getty Images/D. Grombkowski
Bad weather warning
Several parts of Germany experienced rainy and stormy weather this weekend, with many areas submerged in water. Transport services were affected by landslides and flooding in several regions of the country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Heilgeist
Lightning strikes during football match
At least 35 people, including children, were injured after lightning struck a football pitch in Hoppstädten, in Germany's southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate. A 45-year-old referee at the game was directly hit. Doctors succeeded in reviving him at the hospital.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/O. Dietze
Water on the streets
Heavy rains in Nürtingen, in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg, caused water to fill up in the town's low-lying roads. Firefighters and rescue personnel spent a busy night clearing mud and sludge from roads.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Rosar
Rescue gone wrong
Three men were trying to release their birds from an aviary when they were caught unawares by the rising water level. They climbed onto the roof of the birdhouse and were later rescued by firefighters.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Becker & Bredel
Hailstorms in Bavaria
The Bavarian town of Hemau witnessed severe hailstorms. Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Hesse are the other German states affected by "Elvira," a low-pressure condition over central Europe.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/News5/Grundmann
Lightning strikes in France, Poland
At least 11 children were injured when lightning struck a park in the French capital on Saturday. In Poland, lightning struck and killed a 40-year-old mountaineer in the Beskid region. Three others were struck by lightning in the same area.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Alexandre
Honorable rescue efforts
Rescue efforts continued into the nights, as many people were stranded and needed help over the weekend. A small town in the eastern part of Baden-Württemberg experienced flooded roads and destroyed property.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Friebe
Heavy storms rip through neighborhoods
The town of Braunsbach in Baden-Württemberg was devastated by storms over the weekend, when heavy rain and flash floods uprooted trees and destroyed residential property. Cars and trucks were carried away in the floods, and smashed into nearby homes and businesses.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kraufmann
Rescue efforts continue
On Monday morning, rescue personnel continued their efforts to clean up towns affected by the destructive storms. Brave men and women dug through debris as high as houses to help those in need.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Kraufmann
More storms to come
Meteorological experts have forecasted more bad weather for the coming days. Storms and heavy rain are expected to occur almost all over Germany well into next week.
Image: Getty Images/D. Grombkowski
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Across Europe
Severe flooding and inclement weather over the past week have left at least 14 people dead across Europe.
In Germany, a man on Friday suffered a heart attack during a rescue operation in the village of Triftern in Bavaria, and died from complications at a hospital.
Rapid response teams worked to clear debris in the area and search for survivors in basements.
"The most important thing today is to ensure the area-wide supply of drinking water and to restore the road network," said a spokeswoman for the district of Rottal-Inn, where Triftern is located.
In France, over 20,000 people were relocated over the past week due to heavy rains and flooding.
French President Francois Hollande on Friday said "more decisions" may be required to tackle the effects of "exceptional" flooding in Paris and other regions across France.
Aside from Germany and France, the extreme weather has also caused deaths in Belgium and Romania.
