At least ten people were injured after a severe lightning bolt struck a handball competition in Rastatt, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on Friday evening. Eight adults and a 13-year-old child were among the casualties, with one person severely hurt and others sustaining minor injuries.
Freak weather event during handball competition
The incident occurred as 120 teams gathered at a sports ground used as a campsite. Participants were trying to secure tents that were in danger of blowing away when the lightning struck. In a separate incident, a 71-year-old woman was injured by lightning at a sports ground in Münsingen-Dottingen while preparing food in a marquee; she was taken to hospital for treatment after suffering an electric shock.
Power outages and disruptions
The extreme weather left large parts of Rastatt without power for up to 90 minutes. Cem Özdemir, minister-president of Baden-Württemberg, said thousands of people had been 'severely impacted' by the storm, with hospitals and businesses disrupted. He wrote on X: 'Our solidarity goes out to all those affected. All competent authorities are working at full throttle to restore supplies as quickly as possible and to keep the consequences for the population, healthcare system, and economy as minimal as possible.' Despite the outage, the power substation remained undamaged, according to Euronews.
Further storms expected
The German Weather Service (DWD) reported that further storms were due to hit the area on Saturday, with the state likely to exceed its temperature record for June. Other regions expected to experience intense heat include Bavaria, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Berlin, and Brandenburg. Heavy rain in Berlin caused cars to become stuck in the Gleim Tunnel between Wedding and Prenzlauer Berg.
