Black Ice Hits Germany, Resulting In Accidents, Full Emergency Rooms

BERLIN, Dec 28 (Bernama-dpa) -- People in Germany were slipping and sliding on streets and roads across the country overnight as black ice triggered numerous accidents nationwide.

By early Sunday morning, police in the eastern German state of Saxony had already recorded 32 accidents, with further incidents reported elsewhere.

In the capital, Berlin, many emergency departments were operating over capacity as people sought treatment for various bone fractures caused by the icy conditions, Tagesspiegel newspaper reported on Sunday, reported German news agency dpa.

The German Weather Service expects slippery conditions to persist until mid-morning, particularly in the centre of the country. Light drizzle may occur and freeze on contact with the ground. However, warmer temperatures are forecast by midday, which should help melt the black ice.

A spokesman for Saxony police said officers “were mainly occupied with these accidents”. In one incident in the southern town of Zwickau, a driver collided with a traffic sign because of the slippery road surface. Damage was estimated at around €23,000 (US$27,000), though the driver was not injured.

In eastern Hesse, a 19-year-old lost control of his car in icy conditions, causing the vehicle to roll over several times, police said. Paramedics took the driver and his 20-year-old passenger, both seriously injured, to the hospital.

In southern Hesse, an 18-year-old woman lost control of her car while overtaking another vehicle on a winter-slick road and drove down an embankment, crashing into a tree. Her passenger sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene by paramedics, police said.

Numerous accidents had already been reported on Friday night and Saturday morning due to slippery roads, particularly in the north of the country.

--BERNAMA-dpa