At least four dead after storm 'Xavier' hits Germany

At least four people were dead after Germany was hit by a heavy storm "Xavier" that caused heavy damage and traffic disruptions.

German news agency dpa reports that the total number of victims to storm "Xavier" has risen to four by late afternoon local time, Xinhua reported.

According to reports, there are more than 10 people injured in Hamburg. Firefighters in the city received more than 650 emergency calls, mostly for dealing with fallen trees and to free trapped people.

A police representative also confirmed the death of a truck driver who was killed by a falling tree in his vehicle.

Deutsche Bahn discontinued its entire train service in northern and eastern Germany. A company representative said that there was no train service in Berlin and Brandenburg at all.

Air travellers were also facing delays and cancellations. Bremen Airport cancelled three flights to and from Amsterdam and one from Istanbul.

In Hanover, connections to the Dutch capital and to Istanbul were cancelled too.

In Berlin, the International Garden Exhibition (IGA) and the zoo were closed for security reasons and the German national ski jumping championship had to be cancelled in Oberwiesenthal.

--IANS

sku/