
10 months · 10 summary articles
A lightning strike at a sports festival in Rastatt, southwestern Germany, injured nine people—one of them seriously—late Friday, as severe thunderstorms swept across central Europe, killing at least one person in the Netherlands and forcing the evacuation of a 5,000-person festival in Schleswig-Holstein. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned that further thunderstorms were expected on Saturday.
In Rastatt, the lightning struck shortly after midnight as visitors to a sports festival set up tents for an overnight stay. Emergency services reported that nine people were injured, including a 13-year-old boy, with one victim in critical condition. Local authorities said the strike hit directly in the festival area, where hundreds had gathered after the day’s events. The DWD had issued thunderstorm warnings for the region, forecasting “severe weather with the potential for lightning, heavy rain, and gusty winds” .
Across the border, the Netherlands bore the brunt of the storms overnight. A 25-year-old woman died in Coevorden, Drenthe, after a tree fell onto her car during the severe weather. Dutch authorities reported widespread damage, including fires sparked by lightning and fallen trees blocking roads and railways. In North Rhine-Westphalia, emergency services were on high alert as rivers rose nearly two meters in hours before receding, prompting flood warnings that were later lifted .
In Schleswig-Holstein, a storm forced the evacuation of a festival in Nordfriesland with around 5,000 attendees. Thirteen people were injured, mostly with minor injuries, as tents collapsed and debris scattered across the site. Rescue teams worked through the night to clear the area and ensure no one was trapped .
Meteorologists attributed the extreme weather to a tropical air mass moving north from the Mediterranean, colliding with cooler Atlantic air and creating unstable conditions ripe for severe thunderstorms. The DWD reiterated that the risk of further storms remained high on Saturday, urging the public to stay indoors and avoid open areas during thunderstorms .
As emergency services across Germany and the Netherlands continued to respond to downed power lines, blocked roads, and structural damage, officials urged caution, noting that the combination of extreme heat and violent storms was creating a dangerous and unpredictable weekend across much of central Europe.
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