The weather service calls it a dangerous black ice situation. Freezing rain leads to massive traffic delays in southern Germany. In Freiburg, a mobile treatment center is set up in the exhibition hall because the hospitals are overloaded.
Freezing rain has caused slippery roads and massive disabilities in many places in southern Germany. Several people were injured in numerous accidents. The German Weather Service (DWD) spoke of a dangerous black ice situation between the Black Forest and the foothills of the Alps and warned of severe traffic obstructions. No planes have been able to take off or land at Munich Airport since the afternoon. In southern Baden there were numerous accidents with several injuries.
A spokesman for Munich Airport said 133 flights had been canceled and 26 diverted. The entire crew of the airport is on duty with 150 clearing vehicles in order to be able to clear the two runways again as quickly as possible. However, one is dependent on the help of nature. "If there is no more freezing rain, such a runway can be used again within 20 to 25 minutes," said the spokesman. In the afternoon, the northern runway was first released again. The municipal cemeteries in Munich were also closed due to the risk of ice.
In Baden-Württemberg, there were obstructions due to black ice, especially in the southern Baden area. Because the clinics were overcrowded due to the many black ice accidents, rescue workers in Freiburg set up a treatment center in the exhibition hall. The injured received medical care there and should be transported as soon as possible, the Red Cross said.
The black ice also caused numerous accidents in the region around Freiburg. The police headquarters in Freiburg registered more than 50 weather-related traffic accidents by noon. Two buses and a gritter were also affected. People were injured in five accidents in the entire area of responsibility of the Presidium. In addition, there were probably numerous fallen pedestrians in accidents for which the police were not called. The extent is extraordinary, said the police spokesman. Due to the mirror-smooth streets, the city of Freiburg also closed large parts of the Münsterplatz, which is popular with tourists, and the main shopping street in the old town.
In the afternoon and evening, the meteorologists expect the black ice situation to relax in some areas. Especially in the extreme south, there could still be regional black ice into the night.
