Europe's storm 'Herwart' claims fifth fatality






Berlin - By dpa correspondents - The "Herwart" storm system claimed a fifth fatality on Sunday in Europe when a motorboat carrying three holidaymakers overturned in rough waters on Germany's Peenestrom gat off the Baltic Sea.



 
Two people - a man and a woman - were recovered from the water, but the third person remains missing. According to German police, the woman died in transit to hospital.
Four people have previously been reported killed and one seriously injured as "Herwart" blew through Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic.
A 63-year-old camper drowned in the town of Sehestedt on the northern coast of Germany on Sunday in a storm surge, police said.
A woman and a man were killed in the Czech Republic after being struck by a tree, the CTK agency reported Sunday, citing emergency services. Hundreds of households were without power nationwide, and firefighters were continually clearing roads and railroad Sunday.
In Poland, one man died in a vehicle accident due to the storm, according to local officials. At least 1,200 emergency personnel were called in, the PAP news agency reported. Strong gusts knocked trees over across the country, blocking streets and stopping traffic.
Strong winds also caused damage in Slovakia, causing officials to warn families against visiting graves in the lead-up to All Saints' Day out of safety concerns. Cemeteries in Bratislava were closed.
In the German capital, one person was seriously injured when scaffolding from a construction site fell on him, a fire brigade spokesman said, adding that the roof of a residential building had been torn off and trees uprooted as a result of strong winds.
The Berlin fire brigade, which had declared a state of emergency, said it had received 100 emergency phone calls between 4 am (0300 GMT) and 7 am and that all volunteer fire fighters were called for duty.
Meanwhile, in Hamburg, the Elbe River burst its banks. Rescue workers blocked off nearby roads and attempted to secure a subterranean parking lot which may flood, a fire brigade spokesman said. The northern German city's harbour had also flooded, and its famous fish market was closed off as a result of the storm.
He added that fire fighters had been called out about 500 times to deal with emergency situations due to the storm.
A spokeswoman for the Deutsche Bahn rail company said that long distance rail services were recommencing after all trains were cancelled in seven of Germany's 16 states.
However, disruptions are expected to continue into Monday, especially around Hamburg on Germany's northern coast.
Earlier this month, a storm named "Xavier" swept across northern Germany, killing seven people.

 


Sunday, October 29th 2017
By dpa correspondents
           


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