Tornado strikes German port city of Kiel, 7 injured

BERLIN

A small tornado struck the northern German port city of Kiel, injuring seven people and damaging property, local media reported on Thursday.

The violent storm hit Germany’s Baltic Sea coast late on Wednesday, produced a waterspout and threw people from boats in Kiel’s dockside area, public broadcaster NDR reported.

Four of the injured people were hospitalized in serious condition, according to the authorities.

Powerful winds also ripped off roof tiles, uprooted trees and flattened fences in several districts of Kiel, including Meimersdorf and Gaarden.

Tornadoes and waterspouts have been rare weather phenomena in Germany, but the country witnessed extreme weather events in recent months, including record rainfall and flooding in July that killed nearly 200 people.