Torrents, muddy roads, cars washed away: the fire and rescue services have to go on more than 650 missions.
Unusual masses of rain put the old town in the Bavarian Landshut under water on Tuesday evening. At the kick-off of the European Championship soccer game Germany against England, heavy rain, lightning and thunder moved over the city, as a police spokesman said.
There were torrents, muddy streets, cars washed away, flushed manhole covers, fallen trees, full cellars, damaged power boxes and oil tanks, as Mirko Olzem, the situation service of the integrated control center in Landshut, described the situation.
According to initial findings, no one was injured. “That was a storm that only happens every five to ten years,” said Olzem. Large masses of water had fallen over the city within a very short time.
There are lots of photos and videos on Twitter, on which the brown water masses in the old town can be seen – and cars that laboriously push their way through, flooded stairs or mud that leaves its mark on house walls.
According to the control center, the fire brigade and rescue service are on call for almost 650 missions between 5.30 p.m. and 8.45 p.m. That was well above average. About 20 more missions were made to the police. The cleanup continues. Many will not realize the extent of the damage until the morning, as Olzem said.