Three Women Die in Southern German Downpours

Two victims died while trapped in their cars. A third died in the cellar of her home.

A train driver was also seriously injured in the region when his train crashed into a fallen tree on the line. One of his passengers suffered a broken arm and another was treated for shock.

Rescue services worked through the night to reach people stranded by the sudden flooding. The water was so high on one main road near the town of Juningen that rescue service vehicles could not get through.

Electricity supplies were cut to some towns, and a house burned down after being hit by lightning. The storms also struck the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.

There have been heavy rains in southern Germany in the past few days following unseasonably hot weather. Northern Germany continued to bask in 30-degree (86-degree Fahrenheit) heat on Tuesday.