Severe storms sweep over Bavaria - Drivers have to be rescued from floods

Strong thunderstorms and continuous rain caused chaos in the night to Wednesday in the east and north of Bavaria. A delivery van and several cars were caught by the floodwaters in Kastl (Lkr. Amberg-Sulzbach), washed away, and got stuck at a bridge. The vehicles blocked the drainage of the Lauterach, which swelled into a raging stream. Firefighters had to secure and recover them with ropes and excavators. Stuck drivers had to be freed according to the fire department. A similar picture in Upper Franconia. Here there were a large number of operations. Bamberg and its surroundings were particularly affected by the storms. In Bamberg alone, there were 120 operations in a very short time. Emergency services were mainly called out due to flooded basements and flooded streets. There were also ten weather-related accidents. No one was seriously injured. There were also repeated precarious situations like here in an underpass in Bamberg. The fire department had to rescue people from their vehicles that had previously become stuck in the floods. The German Weather Service (DWD) issued a level three out of four storm warning for Middle Franconia, Upper Franconia, and the Upper Palatinate on Tuesday afternoon. Meteorologists warned of lightning strikes, falling trees, and floods. The low is now slowly moving northwards. According to the German Weather Service, isolated rain showers and thunderstorms are possible, especially in southern Bavaria from noon today.