Germany news: Powerful storms damage homes, leave 1 dead
Germany is grappling with the impacts of damaging storms after a prolonged dry spell. Meanwhile, a CDU politician in Saxony-Anhalt reportedly donated money to the far-right AfD party. Follow along.
Germany experienced powerful storms in August 2026 that caused extensive damage to homes, resulting in one fatality. A wildfire in western Germany, which prompted the evacuation of approximately 1,800 residents, was eventually extinguished. The Hürtgenwald forest, a popular hiking destination and site of a World War II battle, saw the fire covering 300 hectares at its peak.
Belgian authorities reported that this was their biggest forest fire in over a century. In Thuringia, a man was killed by falling tree branches while walking his child to preschool near Gotha. Meanwhile, a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Chicago was diverted to Glasgow due to a medical emergency on board. German politicians, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, strongly condemned remarks made by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who advocated for targeted killings in Gaza.
A poll revealed that young people in Germany have little confidence in the state pension system to support them in their later years, with only 49% of respondents aged 18-30 expecting to rely on state pensions.
Written by urgent.news from DW News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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