deadly floods in southern Germany
© YouTube/Live Leak (screen capture)
Floods have lashed southern Germany, killing at least four people and causing an underground carpark to collapse.

The town of Schwäbisch Gmünd was the worst hit, with a volunteer firefighter drowning while trying to rescue a flood victim, Deutsche Welle reports.

Two people died after a carpark filled with water and caved in. Scores of cars were submerged, while the strength of the water washed others down flooded streets.

Hundreds of people have been evacuated across the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, which borders France and Switzerland.

The flood waters reportedly rose four metres within just minutes. It is not yet known how much rain has fallen across Baden-Wuerttemberg.


Wild weather has lashed parts of Germany over the weekend, with more than 30 people taken to hospital in the western village of Hoppstaedten when lightning struck the pitch at the end of a children's football match.

Three adults were seriously injured including the 45-year-old referee who was hit directly and had to be resuscitated before being rushed to hospital by helicopter, AFP reports.