(photos and video)Parts of Germany have been hit by violent storms resulting in severe flooding and mudslides.

Parts of Germany have been hit by violent storms resulting in severe flooding and mudslides. At least four people are feared dead from the torrential overnight rains. Over 7,000 firefighters and other emergency response teams have been activated to deal with the aftermath.

At least three people have lost their lives as extreme weather, including flash floods, hail storms and lightning storms wreaked havoc in southern Germany on Sunday evening. The states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria were struggling to cope with the results of destructive storms on Monday morning. In Schwäbisch Gmünd in Baden-Württemberg a firefighter died on Sunday while trying to dig a stranded person out of trouble. The person he was trying to save is also likely dead, authorities said on Sunday evening. In Heilbronn, meanwhile, police also confirmed that one person died after being trapped in an underground garage during flooding. "We are using all the resources we have," a police spokesperson in the town said of the flooding. "It's not looking good here, it's looking really bad." Videos uploaded to the internet show torrential rain and powerful flash floods dragging everything that wasn't fixed to the ground with them. he number of casualties has not yet been confirmed by the state interior ministry in Baden-Württemberg. Police in the wealthy south-western state took thousands of emergency calls. In Ulm alone authorities recorded 490 emergency calls in a five-hour period. In Biberach a landslide dragged trees and mud onto an industrial area. The Autobahn between Giengen und Oberkochen had to been shut down after hail stones covered it to ankle height, with snow ploughs brought in to clear the asphalt. In the town of Künzelsau the major talked of a "natural disaster" after several roads had to be closed down while debris was cleared away. Particularly badly affected was the town of Braunsbach in the north of Baden-Württemberg. Local police spoke of wide-scale destruction after a river burst its banks. Video footage from the town shows the terrifying strength of the flooding as it surged through the streets. Much of the area had to be evacuated but there were no deaths reported. In Bavaria storms also caused massive damage. In Ansbach whole streets were flooded and powerful water flows ripped cars along with them. Some houses north of the town were so badly damaged that they could now collapse. Emergency services are now working to prop up the structures.

Floods have lashed southern Germany, killing at least four people and causing an underground carpark to collapse. The town of Schwäbisch Gmünd was the worst hit, with a volunteer firefighter drowning while trying to rescue a flood victim, Deutsche Welle reports. Two people died after a carpark filled with water and caved in. Scores of cars were submerged, while the strength of the water washed others down flooded streets. Hundreds of people have been evacuated across the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, which borders France and Switzerland. The flood waters reportedly rose four metres within just minutes. It is not yet known how much rain has fallen across Baden-Wuerttemberg. Wild weather has lashed parts of Germany over the weekend, with more than 30 people taken to hospital in the western village of Hoppstaedten when lightning struck the pitch at the end of a children's football match. Three adults were seriously injured including the 45-year-old referee who was hit directly and had to be resuscitated before being rushed to hospital by helicopter, AFP reports.