20 in Germany hurt by wind, storms

BERLIN — About 20 people have been injured in eastern Germany by gusty winds and thunderstorms while there were reports of lightning hitting a man in Denmark and causing the death of five horses in Sweden.

German news agency dpa reported Thursday eight people were injured Wednesday night at an outdoor wedding party when a tree branch crashed onto them in Blankensee in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania.

In Berlin, 11 people were injured when a tree fell on a group celebrating outside and an unknown number of passengers in a convertible were also injured by a falling tree.

Public transportation was stopped in Berlin for two hours during the evening rush hour because of the storm and several commuter trains were still delayed Thursday morning.

In Magdeburg, 96 miles southwest of Berlin, lightning damaged a building. Nobody was injured.

Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said lighting likely was to blame for the death of five horses in Vaksala, near Uppsala, about 45 miles north of Stockholm, and several fires in the area.

At Copenhagen airport in Denmark, an employee was hit by lightning but didn’t have life-threatening injuries.