Storm in northern Germany stops trains, closes zoos

Berlin: Rail services in parts of northern Germany were suspended for several hours Monday as a storm with high winds swept across the area, causing floods and forcing the temporary closure of two Berlin zoos.

Long-distance lines from Berlin to Hamburg and Hannover were among those closed on Monday morning and then reopened.

Some other services remained suspended, including those between Hannover and Bremen and trains to Stralsund in Germany's northeastern corner.

Near Wolfsburg, a high-speed train ran into a tree that had fallen on the tracks. The driver was slightly injured.

Strong winds were expected in northern and eastern Germany through Monday afternoon.

Berlin's two zoos were closed for the day because of a risk of falling branches, and animals brought indoors.

Near Dortmund in western Germany, the fire service used a boat and makeshift walkways to rescue sheep from a field flooded by heavy rain.

News agency dpa reported that the field was submerged under as much as 2 meters (6.5 feet) of water, and that some animals died in the flooding. Around 200 were rescued.