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Icy Autobahn causes spate of crashes across Germany

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
Icy Autobahn causes spate of crashes across Germany
A police car on the closed Autobahn 45 near Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: DPA

Stormy weather has been causing major problems in Germany this week. And now slippery conditions on the road network are resulting in more misery.

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Black ice resulted in several accidents and part of the Autobahn being closed on Tuesday night. Drivers have been urged to drive with caution.

In Baden-Württemberg, three people were seriously injured in a collision involving two cars. One of the cars drove into the opposite lane because of the road conditions, according to police.

In the north-east of Bavaria, several highways (A9, A72, A93) were affected by slippery roads and there were a spate of crashes.  In addition, several vehicles broke down in the hazardous conditions. Nobody was seriously injured.

In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), part of the Autobahn 45 near Siegen, had to be completely closed for several hours during the early hours of Wednesday.

As the slippery conditions happened so quickly, trucks became stuck on uphill roads, and other vehicles were unable to move forward, police reported. There were also several accidents in NRW although nobody was seriously injured.

In Schleswig-Holstein several accidents occurred on Autobahn 7 and Autobahn 23 north of Hamburg. Most resulted in damage to cars and there were no reports of serious injuries. Police said conditions were made worse due to heavy rain. 

A week of stormy weather

It comes after Germany – and other parts of Europe – was battered by storm Sabine at the start of the week.

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Insurance broker Aon estimated that damages in Germany would total between €500 to €700 million. On Tuesday many places in Germany remained stormy.

According to Deutsche Bahn, trains are on the whole running again without problems, however there is still some disruption. In Baden-Württemberg some railway lines are still closed and in Bavaria the Werdenfelsbahn remains at a standstill.

The German Weather Service (DWD) expects windy and stormy weather to continue on Wednesday. In addition, more rain, snow and sleet showers are expected. In the evening the wind will likely decrease.

Vocabulary

Black ice - (das) Glatteis

Accident - (der) Unfall

Car body damage/fender bender - (der) Blechschaden

Stormy weather - stürmisches Wetter

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

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