Storm kills at least three in central Europe

BERLIN — At least three people died and several were injured as violent winds uprooted trees and caused travel chaos in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic on Sunday.

A 58-year-old man was killed in the town of Beelitz near the German capital Berlin on Saturday evening when an election poster fell on him as he walked with his partner, local media reported citing the police.

In the neighbouring Czech Republic, a 70-year-old man was killed when the wind toppled the wall of a warehouse under construction in Velke Pritocno west of Prague, while another man was injured in the accident.

Poland’s fire brigade reported one dead and five injured in the windstorm.

A falling tree injured a pedestrian in the northern German city of Bremen, while in the north-eastern Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania region a motorcyclist was seriously injured after colliding with an uprooted tree.

Fallen branches and trees disrupted long-distance train services on Saturday evening and Sunday in northern and eastern Germany, particularly between Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg.

Transport in the neighbouring Czech Republic and Poland was affected too.

Seventy passengers were left stranded in a motionless train from Budapest to Prague in south-eastern Czech Republic without power and heating for over four hours as the wind had damaged the overhead line.

Hundreds of thousands of households in the region were hit by power outages.

Berlin’s firefighters requested residents to stay at home as strong winds lashed the city from Saturday evening.

The port city of Hamburg’s famous fish market was flooded and debris damaged several road vehicles.