Thunderstorms lashed western and southern Germany today after a day of summer heat, with torrential rain flooding highways and lightning strikes causing non-fatal injuries, according to dpa. In one case, five people at a hill-country camping ground, at Hauenstein near the French border, were injured by a lightning bolt. Lightning set fire to a pigshed in Bavaria, killing 20 animals. Similar storms hit the region on Thursday. In some places, 100 litres of rain per square metre fell in a few minutes, causing local flash floods.