A tornado buffeted western Germany on Friday, killing at least one man and injuring some 40 people, 10 of them seriously. The 38-year-old man in the far-western town of Wittgert died of head injuries sustained when he fell after suffering an electric shock in a flooded cellar, local media quoted police as saying. The storm swept through the western German city of Paderborn, injuring dozens of people as it blew away roofs, toppled trees and sent debris flying, authorities said. Meteorologists had warned that heavy rainfall and hail were expected in western and central Germany on Friday, with storms producing wind gusts up to 130km/h (81mph). Storms on Thursday had already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees that toppled onto rail tracks and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in western Germany. Paderborn police said 43 people were injured in the storm that hit the city. Thirty were being treated in hospitals and 10 of those were seriously injured. One woman was in a life-threatening condition, police said. They urged people to remain in their houses so as not to hamper rescue efforts or endanger themselves. Tornado rips through Kansas, leaving several people injured Heavy storm damage was also reported in the nearby town of Lippstadt. A church steeple in the town was toppled and the German news agency dpa reported that more than 100 people were temporarily trapped in a local open air pool after fallen trees blocked the exit. The regional fire service said all available rescuers were being deployed to the area. Authorities in Bavaria said 14 people were injured on Friday when the wooden hut they were trying to shelter in collapsed during a storm at Lake Brombach, south of Nuremberg. Among the injured were several children and a 37-year-old woman, who was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries. Schools in the western city of Cologne closed before midday on Friday to give students time to make it home safely before the storms hit. Further south in Ahrweiler county, all schools remained closed Friday. More than 130 people were killed in the region last summer after it was hit by a flash flood in July. Additional reporting by Reuters
