A man has been killed and three people seriously injured after a severe storm struck the Saxon Switzerland region in the eastern German state of Saxony, police said on Friday.
There were no reports of missing people, said a spokesman for the Dresden Emergency Services Control Centre. According to the control centre, a 38-year-old man lost his life near the Felsenbühne open-air theatre in Rathen when a falling tree struck him.
Ten other people were injured, according to the centre, and 40 people were evacuated. The search will continue on Saturday, the spokesman said.
The Amselgrund – a scenic valley popular with hikers – and Lake Amsel remain closed.
“The situation on the ground is very unclear,” said a police spokesman. The darkness was hampering the work of the emergency services. A clear picture of the situation would probably only emerge once it was light again, said the police spokesman. A police helicopter was in the air equipped with a thermal imaging camera.
The health resort of Rathen lies directly on the Elbe river, close to the well-known Bastei rock formation. The Friday evening performance of the musical “Little Shop of Horrors” at the Felsenbühne was cancelled.