A tornado swept through the German city of Paderborn, injuring at least 40 people as it blew away roofs, toppled trees and sent debris flying
Police said two French citizens died after their motorised paraglider was caught by a strong gust of wind shortly after taking off on Thursday from an airfield in Ballenstedt, 109 miles south west of Berlin.
Police in Saxony-Anhalt state said the pair, both 59, were urged to land because of a forecast for an abrupt change in the weather. Shortly after the warning, "they appear to have been hit by a gust of wind that caused the paraglider to collapse, and the air vehicle crashed on to a field from a height of about 40 metres ", police said.
Schools in the western city of Cologne closed before midday to give students time to make it home safely before the storms hit. Further south in Ahrweiler county, all schools were closed on Friday. More than 130 people were killed in the region last summer after it was hit by a flash flood in July.