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Tornado Rips Through Port of Kiel

downtown
Downtown Kiel harbor (Klaas Ole Kürtz / CC BY SA 2.5)

Published Sep 30, 2021 5:10 PM by The Maritime Executive

[Brief] A rare tornado roared through the Baltic Sea port of Kiel, Germany on Wednesday evening, destroying trees, damaging houses and disrupting the activities of a local rowing club. 

Four people were seriously injured, including three rowers who were attempting to recover boats on a jetty and ended up in the water. Three others received minor injuries. 

Tornados sometimes occur in clusters, and it was not clear whether the incident in Kiel was a single tornado or multiple separate funnel clouds. Videos posted to social media showed large amounts of debris tossed airborne by the high winds as one twister transited over land. In the suburb of Miemersdorf, extreme winds damaged about 20 roofs.

A waterspout passed through Kiel's harbor, and bystander video showed that it transited down the length of a public boardwalk, then past several piers. No vessel damage has been reported. 

Top image: Downtown Kiel harbor (Klaas Ole Kürtz / CC BY SA 2.5)