DUESSELDORF: At least six people were killed in storms that swept Germany’s most populous state late on Monday, forcing Duesseldorf airport to shut down, felling trees and leaving some roads impassable. After a scorchingly hot three-day holiday weekend, thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy rain pounded the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, causing Germany’s third-largest airport in Duesseldorf to close for about an hour.
Three people were reported to have died in the state capital when a tree fell onto a garden shed in which they were seeking shelter. A cyclist aged 50 died in Cologne after being hit by a falling tree. A 28-year-old cyclist in Krefeld was killed when a falling tree brought down an overhead electricity cable which electrocuted him. One other person died in the town of Essen while trying to clear a street. Commuters were stuck in long traffic jams yesterday.
