Lightning struck a football pitch in western Germany on Saturday, injuring 35 people, three of them seriously, news agency DPA reported.

The accident -- which came as 11 people were hurt in a similar freak strike at a birthday party in a Parisian park -- happened at the end of a children's football match in Hoppstaedten, DPA said, citing police.

The referee of the children's match was hit directly by the lightning and was rushed to hospital.