Two dead, countless roads closed, students stuck: snow causes chaos in Germany

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 fmXrkB”>

The onset of winter caused serious disruptions in parts of Germany on Monday and Tuesday. At least two people lost their lives. In the Schwäbisch Hall district of Baden-Württemberg, a man (†71) was killed in a head-on collision on a snow-covered road. A woman (†54) also died in an accident involving black ice in Denzerheide in Rhineland-Palatinate. And the dangerous weather conditions of snow and rain will remain for a while.

As the fire, disaster management and rescue services announced, the entire district near Wiesbaden was hit by heavy snow and wind. The snow load caused trees to fall in many places, forcing the closure of numerous roads.

The result: About 30 students were trapped in a school in the district town of Bad Schwalbach. The power went out in the municipality of Schwerte.

100 vehicles included

Police said about 100 vehicles were now trapped. The fire brigade was able to free 30 vehicles between Kiedrich and Schnurbad-Hausen. Near Eltville-Martinsthal, 100 people were removed from their vehicles due to falling trees and taken into care by a local company.

As of Monday afternoon, a total of more than 350 fire brigade and disaster relief volunteers are working at more than 130 locations in the Rheingau-Taunus district. The district established a command staff. The control center was significantly expanded in staff due to the many emergency calls.

Schools remain closed

There was no improvement in sight on Tuesday morning. The roads between Wiesbaden and Untertaunus and Rheingau and Untertaunus remained closed for the time being because trees continued to fall here. Authorities on Tuesday issued an “urgent appeal” to residents to stay at home if possible.

Most schools in the Rheingau-Taunus district have ordered distance learning for Tuesday. Many roads remained closed. A warning was also issued about disruption to train traffic due to falling trees on the track.

Snow and ice also caused problems in other areas on Monday, such as Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. In particular, traffic accidents on slippery roads were reported in many places. The police reported cars with summer tires several times and pointed out the dangers associated with them. (AFP/jwg)

Source: Blick