BERLIN — German authorities on Sunday (June 5) cancelled the third and final day of a rock music festival attended by more than 90,000 fans after lightning strikes injured 80 people, some seriously, and more bad weather was forecast, festival organisers said.

The sell-out Rock am Ring festival, now in its 31st year and featuring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Black Sabbath as the headliners, took place at the airport in Mendig, near the Nuerburgring motor racing track.

Festival organisers had halted performances for several hours on Saturday during another thunderstorm, temporarily sending some 92,500 fans to their cars and tents for safety, but vowing to resume the open-air event.

With more storms forecast, authorities in the area revoked the event’s license early on Sunday morning.

Organisers said they regretted the decision but accepted it because of the need to ensure the safety of fans. They asked participants to clear the festival grounds by noon on Sunday.

The event website initially reported 42 people were injured during lightning strikes on Friday, but the numbers rose to more than 80. At least eight people were hospitalised, according to the German Red Cross.

Thirty-three people were injured by lightning strikes at the festival last year , according to German media.

Last weekend, more than 30 people were taken to hospital in the western German village of Hoppstaedten when lightning struck the pitch at the end of a children’s football match.

On the same day, 11 people, most of them children, were injured by lightning in a Paris park after taking shelter under a tree during a storm.

France, Germany and other parts of western and central Europe have been battered by deadly storms and floods over the past week. At least 17 people have been killed in the flooding, including 11 in southern Germany and four in France. AGENCIES