[EN IMAGES] Uprooted trees and floods: Germany was hit by severe thunderstorms

Torn trees and flooded alleys: Violent thunderstorms hit Germany Wednesday, particularly the west, said local authorities, who expect more rain in the coming days.

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Local media announced on Wednesday evening that a firefighter drowned during an intervention in Altona (North Rhine-Westphalia). The East was not spared either: in Saxony, there is a missing man.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous region in Germany, torrential rains caused severe damage, especially in many nursing homes.

In several localities, water rose nearly a meter into the alleys. Many cellars were flooded, according to firefighters.

Trees were uprooted by strong storms.

In Hagen, streams ran out of their beds and moved, according to emergency services, “collective debris” blocking the streets.

Firefighters used boats near Dusseldorf to rescue three motorists who got stuck in a flooded motorway tunnel.

Neighboring areas of the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, as well as the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern front (northeast) have been put on alert for thunderstorms. Other northern states are also expected to experience thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail.

On Tuesday, it was Bavaria, located in the south of the country, that was hit so hard that a state of natural disaster was declared in the Hof region, due to flooded roads.

The new disturbances expected in the coming days make local authorities fear the floods of the Rhine and Moselle, whose levels have already risen after heavy rains in recent days.