Floods, rain and thunder as storms lash Europe

Floods, rain and thunder as storms lash Europe

Several countries in central Europe have been hit by flooding after heavy storms swept across the continent.

Officials in southwestern Germany said a vaccination centre was flooded and five people were injured by hail the size of tennis balls.

Some vaccination appointments in Tübingen were canceled on Thursday after torrential rain overnight.

Police also said that five people were injured in the nearby town of Reutlingen after they were struck and injured by large hailstones.

Firefighters were out in force across the region, pumping water out of flooded basements and removing toppled trees from roads.

Floods, rain and thunder as storms lash Europe
Streets in Kopfsberg were flooded after heavy rainfall in Lower Bavaria.Seidl/dpa via AP

Several regions in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic had previously reported flash flooding earlier this week.

Around 45,000 households in central and southern areas in the Czech Republic were left without electricity for hours on Thursday due to thunderstorms.

Authorities also reported that fallen trees had blocked the tracks on some 30 train routes.

Severe storms also caused rail disruption in Switzerland, where an estimated 64 millimeters of rain fell in just 30 minutes in Vallon de Saint-Imier.

International