The city's fire service said dozens of first responders were involved in an operation to rescue a group of rowers who were surprised by the twister on Wednesday.
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Several people were injured when a tornado hit the German city of Kiel on Wednesday, authorities said.
Four of those injured in the port city were badly hurt.
The city's fire service said dozens of first responders were involved in an operation to rescue a group of rowers who were surprised by the twister as it swept along the Baltic Sea coast.
Videos posted on social media showed debris being carried into the air and the clear outline of a tornado.
German news agency DPA quoted an official at the country's national weather agency DWD saying the tornado was likely not very strong but could have caused significantly more damage if it had hit the city centre rather than a largely unpopulated area.
There are about 20 to 60 tornadoes each year in Germany, according to the European Severe Weather Database.