People swept off boats as tornado strikes German city of Kiel

A tornado wreaked havoc in the German city of Kiel on Wednesday. Several people were injured during the extreme weather, which also caused significant damage to buildings.

Emergency services respond to tornado in German city

Heavy rains and strong winds of up to 110kmh had been previously forecasted by the German Weather Service (DWD), yet locals were unsurprisingly rather surprised when they caught sight of the rare weather phenomenon.

The tornado apparently originated in the nearby Meimersdorf district and made its way over to the city, hitting the popular Kiellinie promenade at about 6 pm. The tornado caused a rare waterspout to form over the water, and caused injuries to several people. According to the emergency services, four people were seriously hurt, while three others sustained moderate injuries; they were taken to a nearby hospital and are said to be recovering. Several others sustained minor injuries.

Tornados are not as uncommon as one might think in Germany, with the European Severe Weather Database showing that around 20 to 60 tornados hit the country every year.

Tornado leaves trail of destruction in its wake

German police explained that members of a local rowing club were thrown into the water whilst trying to save two rowing boats. "They were completely turned upside down and people fell into the water in the process," said a spokesperson. Several others jumped in to help the rowers out of the water. All in all, around 60 emergency workers were called into action for around two hours trying to contain the situation.

Several other injuries were reported, including people being hit by debris. A scene of destruction was left in the aftermath of the tornado, including roofs being torn off buildings and trees being uprooted.

The phenomenon left residents in shock and the city remains braced for more heavy weather over the weekend. Kiel’s Lord Mayor, Ulf Kämpfer, has since thanked the city’s emergency services for their efforts in containing the situation.