BERLIN, July 11: Seven persons were killed and scores injured when the worst thunderstorm in 25 years tore through Berlin and other parts of eastern Germany overnight, officials said on Thursday.

Two children, 12 and 15, died when trees fell on them. They were both members of a youth fire brigade who were camping on an island in the Wannsee, a popular Berlin lake.

Another 13 people were hurt on the island, police said.

The other deaths in and around the German capital were also attributed to falling branches and flying debris in the storm which packed wind-driven rain and gusts of up to 160 kph.

Spectacular lightning was blamed for numerous house fires as the storm brought Berlin to a standstill, demolishing vehicles, delaying flights, hindering traffic and bringing rail transport to a halt when a tree fell on the track.

Berlin’s Tegel Airport was closed for a time, except for an emergency landing by a twin-engine Swiss airlines commuter plane diverted to Berlin on a flight from Basel to Hamburg. Buffeted by winds, the plane overshot the runway but no serious injuries were reported.—dpa