With wind strength of 193 km/h Storm Niklas, which battered Germany for most of Tuesday, was one of the strongest to hit the country in years.

The victims of the storm were mainly in the south.

In Bavaria and Rhineland-Palatinate a woman and two men were killed by trees falling onto their cars.

Three people died in weather related car crashes.

One man in Bavaria died in strong hail on the A95. In Baden Württemberg, two men died on a snow covered road.

In the east of the country there were also casualties.

In Saxony-Anhalt, a man died when a concrete wall collapsed onto him.

In Weimar a 9-year-old girl was severely wounded when a tree fell on her. The tree also injured her mother and sister.

On the streets and motorways, toppled over lorries brought traffic to a halt. The police and fire services were in constant action.

Further delays expected

At Frankfurt airport 180 flights were cancelled on Tuesday, while in Hamburg 63 flights were affected.

Airlines are warning that flight delays will stretch into Wednesday.

Rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) worked throughout the night on Tuesday to repair overhead cables. But delays are still expected on the Munich to Salzburg line and between Bremen and Hannover.

“The hurricane hit our rail lines with full force,” said spokesperson Achim Stauß. “It is important that we have everything sorted again from Thursday on in preparation for Easter.”

DB offers further information on delays on its website.