Heavy Snowfall in Germany Causes Dozens of Accidents and Travel Disruptions

Fresh snowfall since Monday night has led to accidents and major traffic disruptions across large parts of Germany. According to police, dozens of crashes were reported in several regions between Bavaria and Lower Saxony and from North Rhine-Westphalia to Thuringia, including some serious incidents. The German Weather Service said widespread snow or sleet is expected to continue in the coming days.

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Near Ganderkesee in Lower Saxony, a 21-year-old driver was critically injured on Monday after his car skidded on a snow-covered road and crashed into a tree, police said. On Sunday evening in Geldern, North Rhine-Westphalia, a 15-year-old girl was seriously injured when a vehicle left the road in winter conditions and struck a tree. She had been a passenger in the car.

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Major highways experienced significant problems. In Thuringia, police reported more than 20 accidents on Monday caused by inappropriate speed on icy roads. Two people were seriously injured and three sustained minor injuries. A total of 20 cars and eight trucks were involved.

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Motorways around Bielefeld in North Rhine-Westphalia also saw multiple crashes, with trucks sliding into guardrails and ditches. On a federal highway near Warburg in Hesse, around 20 trucks became stuck because they were unable to continue, police said. In the jurisdiction of the police headquarters in Regensburg, Bavaria, about 60 weather-related accidents had occurred by late Monday morning.

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Officers recorded around 30 accidents in the Paderborn region of North Rhine-Westphalia and 17 in the district of Verden in Lower Saxony. Motorways were also affected there. On the A28 near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony, a milk tanker left the road on a slippery on-ramp and overturned. The driver sustained minor injuries.

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At Frankfurt am Main Airport, weather-related delays were reported as early as Sunday evening, according to the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs. Due to snowfall, “extensive de-icing” was required, the authority said on Monday. Nine departures were ultimately canceled because they were unable to take off before the night flight ban. A total of 1,400 passengers and one cargo aircraft were affected.

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