Deadly storm Friederike wreaks havoc across Western Europe - Deutsche Welle

Severe weather has gripped Germany and its neighbors. At least five people died as the powerful storm swept across Western Europe. Friederike severely hit public transport on its way toward the Czech Republic.

Friederike, the latest storm to hit Western Europe after Xavier left a trail of destruction last autumn, has left at least five people dead. It brought public transport to a standstill in parts of Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

In Germany, a 59-year-old man died after being hit by a tree at a campsite in Emmerich in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which was one of the two hardest-hit German states. Lower Saxony to the north also suffered extensive damage.

All long-distance trains were halted due to the storm raging across the country, according to Germany's railway operator Deutsche Bahn. Meanwhile, power outages left 100,000 people without electricity in Germany.

While authorities have yet to offer a nationwide assessment of damage, local media has reported that the number of injured across the country could be in the hundreds. - Read More

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