BERLIN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- A hurricane-force storm, Xavier, sweeping across northern Germany on Thursday, has killed at least four people and hit public transport system in Berlin and Hamburg with full force, Germany media reported.
Four people, including one women in Hamburg, a truck driver near Schwerin, and a man as well as a woman in the region north of Berlin, have been killed by fallen trees or branches, according to DPA.
The Berlin Fire Brigade announced the state of emergency, and called volunteer fire crews into action. The Hamburg Fire Brigade called on citizens to stay indoors.
After the storm reached the capital Thursday afternoon, S-Bahn and bus services in the city have been suspended, and some tram lines and subways that run above ground have been brought to a halt. The city's underground stations were packed with commuters.
The S-Bahn traffic in Hamburg was also temporarily stopped.
Other cities in northern Germany also reported injured drivers, fallen trees and torn roof linings. In the north of Saxony-Anhalt, thousands of households had a blackout because of the storm, according to DPA.
The Berlin airports temporarily stopped check-in. Passengers in landed planes had to remain on the aircraft for safety reasons, an airport spokesman was quoted by DPA as saying. Enditem
