A woman was killed and another seriously injured after a tree fell on them during severe storms that caused widespread damage across parts of Germany overnight, police said.
The two women, aged 58 and 47, had been out walking together in Waldorf in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, about 50 kilometres south of Cologne, when the storm moved in and they sought shelter under a covered seating area.
A nearby tree was uprooted by the storm and crashed onto the shelter, hitting both women.
The 58-year-old died at the scene, a police spokesman said. The 47-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Elsewhere, storms damaged dozens of homes and brought down trees across parts of western and central Germany.
Around 60 homes were damaged in Wetzlar in the state of Hesse, the fire service said, while several houses in nearby Solms were left uninhabitable. Police said a possible whirlwind may have caused the destruction.
Weather-related emergency operations were also reported in the states of Thuringia, Brandenburg and Bavaria. Police in Bavaria said falling trees damaged several vehicles, but no injuries were reported.
