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Deadly storm 'Emma' slams Europe

  • Story Highlights
  • Storm dubbed "Emma" slams into Europe, killing at least two people
  • Man dies in western Germany when tree falls on his car
  • Man on motorbike dies when he is blown into oncoming traffic
  • German authorities have urged residents to stay indoors
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From CNN's Frederik Pleitgen
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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- A storm dubbed "Emma" slammed into Europe Saturday with high winds and heavy rain, killing at least two people, authorities said.

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Uprooted trees fell on grave stones n the eastern German town of Hassleben.

A man died near the western German town of Wissen early Saturday when a tree toppled by the storm fell on the car he was riding in, Wissen police told CNN.

The man was in a group of four people driving home from work when they encountered a tree in the road. As they were turning around, the other tree fell on the car. None of the other men were injured.

In Oberpfaffenhofen, in Bavaria, Germany, a car struck and killed a 72-year-old man who was riding a motorbike, after a gust of wind blew the man into the wrong side of the road, police spokesman Wolgang Goergmaier said.

In a separate incident in Bavaria, a wind gust pushed a tour bus off the road, sending the vehicle into a ditch. It rolled over, injuring five people, one of whom was hospitalized, Goergmaier said.

Also in Germany, a train conductor was injured when a high-speed train, the Inter City Express, struck a toppled tree, according to Martin Walden, spokesman for Deutsche Bahn rail service.

None of the train's passengers were injured, and they were bused to their final destination. The train was headed from Dortmund, Germany, to Vienna, Austria, Walden said.

Toppled trees on train tracks were triggering massive delays in railway service all across Germany, with rail lines closed in many locations, Walden said.

Several airports across Europe were posting delays as of Saturday night -- Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Amsterdam, among others, said CNN forecaster Kevin Corriveau.

Europe began feeling the effects of Emma late Friday night, according to Deutchscher Wetter Dienst (DWD), Germany's national weather service.

Wind gusts of up to 190 km/h (118 mph) -- the strength of a Category 3 hurricane -- were clocked in the higher elevations of Austria, Corriveau said. Sustained winds as of Saturday night ranged from 50 km/h to nearly 80 km/h (31 mph to 50 mph). Winds were clocked at 98 km/hr (61 mph) in Denmark.

German authorities were urging residents to stay indoors until the worst of the storm had passed, especially in the northwest part of the country and the southern Alps. However, the storm was pushing into eastern Europe Saturday night, with the potential to cause problems there. Forecasters said the winds and rain should decrease by early Sunday.

The Meteorological Institute of the University of Berlin names high- and low-pressure systems. This year, the high-pressure systems receive male names and the low pressure systems, female names. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

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