Severe storms and tornadoes that swept across Germany Friday evening left some 43 people injured and caused widespread damage to property.
The German weather service confirmed on Saturday morning that three tornadoes hit parts of the North Rhine Westphalia state. According to its report, tornadoes were registered in Paderborn, Lippstadt and in Lütmarsen, a district in the town of Hoxter.
In Paderborn, some 43 people were injured, the police told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) on Saturday. Among them, there were seriously injured and one person was flown to a hospital in Bielefeld, around 50 kilometers (31 miles) away.
There was major damage to buildings in a commercial area and extensive cleanup work will be necessary, the police said.
"During a thunderstorm, a tornado on Friday afternoon drew a path of destruction from west to east through the middle of Paderborn in the direction of the eastern parts of the city," the police also said.
The tornado also caused "severe damage" as it tore through Lippstadt, some 35 kilometers away, local officials said.
Videos posted on social media showed a large black funnel approaching its residential area.
Numerous roofs were blown off and trees downed by the powerful storm. By Saturday morning, a police spokesperson reported no casualties in the area.
At the Cabrioli swimming pool in Lippstadt, about 120 bathers were temporarily trapped because fallen trees blocked the entrance. They were later freed by the fire department.
Several other parts of Germany were also affected by the heavy storm.
Gale-force winds uprooted trees and struck parked cars and a church steeple was knocked down in the village of Hellinghausen.
In Bavaria, 14 people were injured, among them several children, after a wooden hut collapsed on Friday evening. According to the police, several holidaymakers sought shelter in the 85-square-meter (915-square-foot) hut, which tipped over and collapsed during the storm.
In the city of Leipzig, the German metal band Rammstein had to interrupt their concert for 30 minutes due to a thunderstorm. Some 45 minutes after the show started, fans were asked to seek shelter but were allowed back inside the arena after 15 minutes.
