Traffic
Numerous highway accidents due to hail and heavy rain
There have been numerous accidents on the A5 in Baden-Württemberg as a result of heavy rain and hail. photo
© Marcus Brandt/dpa
It has become cooler again in Germany – and also more uncomfortable with hail, rain and sleet. This is also evident on the roads, where there were some accidents in the evening and at night.
Mass pile-up on the A2
There was a pile-up on the A2 in North Rhine-Westphalia with nine people injured. According to police, a 29-year-old was critically injured. It was said that he was driving his car too fast for the weather conditions on Wednesday evening. Between Oelde and Herzebrock-Clarholz he hit another car and further collisions occurred. According to the spokesman, a total of 14 vehicles were involved in the accident.
It was initially not known how seriously the eight other people were injured. The section of the highway was completely closed until early Thursday morning at around 4:30 a.m.
The A5 in Baden-Württemberg was also affected
In western Baden-Württemberg, seven people were slightly injured in 13 accidents on the A5 due to heavy rain, hail, sleet and icy roads. A total of 20 vehicles with 30 passengers were involved in the accidents near Rastatt, Appenweier and Ettenheim from Wednesday evening until the early hours of Thursday morning. There were collisions involving multiple vehicles as well as accidents involving just one car.
The property damage amounts to around 230,000 euros, the police said. The A5 near Appenweier was temporarily completely closed to the south after the accidents, but it was reportedly reopened on Thursday morning.
There will also be thunderstorms today
According to the German Weather Service, there will again be short thunderstorms with sleet in the southern half of Germany on Thursday. And isolated short sleet thunderstorms cannot be ruled out in the northeast either. In the middle and higher mountains there may also be snow and slippery conditions, especially at night and in the morning – and in the Alps there may be persistent snowfalls.