A deluge on the runway meant some people were unable to disembark from planes that had already landed.
Due to heavy rainfalls over Frankfurt, dozens of flights were canceled at Germany’s largest airport on Wednesday.
By late evening, large amounts of water had collected in areas of the runway, leaving passengers stuck on planes that had landed, but unable to disembark.
According to the Frankfurt Airport website, some 70 flights had been canceled as a result of the inclement weather.
For more than two hours, ground handling was brought to a standstill, an airport spokesman confirmed.
⛈️🌊🇩🇪 – #Frankfurt Airport Submerged: 70 Flights Cancelled due to Heavy Rain.
Video shows the runways flooded at one of the country's main travel hubs. It's reported that some passengers were unable to leave flights that had just landed. pic.twitter.com/EFKwImt4jn
— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) August 17, 2023
Between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time, the the weather office had reported rainfall amounts of up to 60 liters per square meter in some parts of the region.
Meteorologists recorded more than 25,000 lightning strikes in a one hour period, local public broadcaster Hessische Rundfunk reported.