Top seed and home favourite Roger Federer suffered an early exit from the Credit Agricole Suisse Open as big-hitting Daniel Brands powered his way into the quarter-finals.

Central Europe’s worst floods in over a decade claimed a 12th victim as torrents of muddy water surged down rivers through the Czech Republic and into Germany, flooding villages and forcing evacuations.

A firefighter plunged to his death as crews worked frantically to remove snow from the roof of a hall in Bavaria to prevent its collapse.