Six ton boulder kills tourist in German Alps during storm

A hiker in the German Alps was crushed to death on Wednesday by a giant boulder that was dislodged during a violent thunderstorm sweeping the area.

The unnamed 38-year-old was with another hiker near the Warmatsgundbach on the Fellhorn in Oberstdorf when the tragic accident occurred.

The hikers were caught in the storm on a popular hiking trail in the Fellhorn area on their way home to the valley. The storm uprooted a large tree, which crashed onto a rock estimated to be around six tons in weight, said the local police.

Both the rock and the tree rolled towards the two hikers. The rock landed on the 38-year-old and he died immediately. His companion was unharmed.

Another hiker alerted the rescue services. The accident report was received around 5:30pm. A police unit, along with firefighters and mountain rescue personnel, were deployed, but the fact that the accident site was inaccessible by road vehicles hampered the rescue, said the police.

The police did not reveal where the tourist hikers had came from.

Elsewhere in the region heavy rain caused flooded streets, underpasses and basements to fill up with water. Fire brigades and rescue services were called out to numerous operations. The storm also caused several mudslides below the Fellhorn in the Stillach Valley causing road closures.

Mountain rescue services also had to go to the aid of some hikers who became trapped by swollen streams in the area.

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