A tornado moves along the promenade in Kiel – people are washed into the water or hit by objects. A meteorologist emphasizes: Such an event cannot be predicted.
Kiel – According to a meteorologist, tornadoes on the water are not uncommon at this time of year – not even off Kiel. According to police, several people were injured at the keel line early on Wednesday evening.
“Something like that cannot be predicted at all,” said the Kiel graduate meteorologist Sebastian Wache from WetterWelt of the German Press Agency. The tornado originated on the outskirts of Kiel in the Meimersdorf district.
Four people were seriously injured
According to the authorities, the tornado hit the keel line – a popular promenade on the bank – around 6 p.m. According to the fire department, four people were seriously injured in the event. Three had also suffered moderate injuries, several people were slightly injured.
When trying to save two rowing boats from the water, several rowers were surprised on a jetty, the fire brigade said. “They were completely mixed up and people fell into the water.” Some of them got hit by flying objects. 60 helpers were on site, the deployment lasted about two hours.
“On the basis of images, we assume that it was a tornado,” said meteorologist Michael Bauditz from the German Weather Service (DWD) of the German Press Agency. He couldn’t say for sure yet. According to the fire brigade, several roofs were also covered in a new development area in Kiel-Meimersdorf. In Kiel-Gaarden, tiles were torn from roofs. Numerous videos of the incident could be seen on the Internet. “That’s awesome,” one heard a voice when looking at the weather phenomenon on a Twitter video.
The chairman of the First Kiel Rowing Club from 1862, Bernd Klose, said: “People are affected. It’s sad. ”Late in the evening, a fallen tree, torn branches or an overturned rubbish bin all around the club reminded of the violent event. “There was a lot of flying around,” said an employee of a nearby restaurant. “It took everyone emotionally.”
At the time of the incident, Kiel’s Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer (SPD) was on the city’s economic committee and learned about the storm through a text message from the fire brigade. Shortly afterwards he received a short message from his son who was on his way to rowing training at the club, he told the German press agency. His son was lucky, only got there a few moments after the tornado. “You can see how quickly this can happen,” said the head of administration. He expressed his great thanks to the fire brigade and rescue workers.
Tornadoes are cyclones. They arise when there are large differences in temperature and often occur in Central Europe together with thunderstorms. A trunk-like tube of cloud extends from the thundercloud down to the ground. dpa
