Following an outbreak of winter weather that left two people dead on dangerous roads, authorities in western Germany today advised citizens to stay indoors and issued a warning of life-threatening danger.
With snowfall in many parts of Germany, the abrupt arrival of winter weather caused slick roads and fallen branches, which resulted in multiple accidents and trapped people in their cars.
A collision on a snowy road Friday evening claimed the life of a 71-year-old man in the Baden-Wuerttemberg neighborhood of Schwaebisch Hall. Aalen police report that the driver lost control of the car and into the oncoming lane.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, close to Denzerheide, a 54-year-old driver lost his life in another black ice collision.
Seventy passengers were stuck on the road near Linienbad, while 100 people were evacuated from their cars in the Rheingau-Taunus district in the west of Hesse, close to Eltville-Martinsthal.
The district administrator issued a statement, urging people ”to stay at home on Tuesday. Please do not go for walks in the forest either: there is an acute danger to life from broken branches and falling trees.”
The German Meteorological Service (DWD) said that snow and sleet will return to many federal states today and that the conditions will hold for the next few days.
If you are in Germany kindly reach out to your loved ones and stay safe.