Travel chaos as wintry weather sweeps across Germany

Berlin: Several motorists have been injured in Germany as snowstorms and freezing rain caused travel chaos across much of the country. The major A3 motorway near Dusseldorf was partially blocked on Saturday after a lorry driver lost control of the truck and slid across three lanes of traffic. No one was injured. The wintry weather began wreaking havoc with commuters late Friday. Near the eastern city of Dresden a 34-year-old woman lost control of her vehicle and crashed into a tree. The driver and a 9-year-old girl who was in the car were taken to hospital with serious injuries. In the western city of  Dortmund 33 weather-related road accidents were reported Friday, police said, leaving one person injured. Cars slid off the road and blocked traffic on the A1 and A45 motorways outside the city, creating major backups. In the nearby town of Hamm a 47-year-old man was taken to hospital after crashing his car into a tree. Police registered several traffic accidents in the south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. — dpa