Tuscany and Veneto, which declared a state of emergency, were particularly affected. This enables immediate measures to be taken for those affected. There was also considerable damage in Carinthia’s neighboring region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and in Emilia Romagna.
Killed by trees
The victims in Tuscany are a 54-year-old farmer who was hit by a tree near the Tuscan city of Lucca, authorities said. For him any help came too late. The second victim is a 60-year-old woman who was also fatally injured by a falling tree in a park in the town of Avenza near Carrara on Thursday. In Pistoia, a tree fell on a truck, injuring its 34-year-old driver, who had to be pulled out of the wreckage of the truck.
Tourist attractions closed
Another four people staying at a campsite in the Tuscan seaside resort of Marina di Massa were also injured by falling trees. A fourth person had to be extricated from a trailer on which a tree had fallen. In Florence, uprooted trees caused damage in several places in the city. The wind reached speeds of up to 140 kilometers per hour, reported the President of Tuscany Eugenio Giani. For security reasons, the famous Renaissance Boboli Gardens in Florence, a popular tourist attraction, had to be closed. In Milan, too, the parks were closed for security reasons.
In the municipality of Luni, in the Liguria region, the storm caused power outages and beach huts were thrown onto the rail network in the Tigullio resort area of Liguria. Locally, trains failed in the regions of Liguria and Emilia-Romagna. In Emilia-Romagna, roofs were blown off and cranes fell.
Bad weather persists
Due to the storm with strong winds that hit Friuli Venezia Giulia, the fire brigade received more than 400 calls, with roofs blown off, trees down and electricity pylons falling on buildings or cars. There were no injuries. A damaged boat at sea had to be brought to safety off the coast of Sistiana near Trieste.
Italian civil defense chief Fabrizio Curcio convened a crisis meeting in Rome on Thursday. Preventive measures were discussed as the bad weather front could last for a few more days. Fires continue to rage in southern Italy. Because of a large fire on the island of Pantelleria between Sicily and Tunisia, some villas have been evacuated, including those of fashion designer Giorgio Armani. Fires also raged in a nature reserve near the Sicilian city of Trapani.
Six dead in Corsica
Six people died in violent storms on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. 20 people were injured, this is a preliminary balance sheet. French President Emmanuel Macron pledged support for the island and its residents. A crisis team was formed at Macron’s vacation spot on the Cote d’Azur in the evening, with the participation of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Gusts with a speed of more than 200 kilometers per hour had swept over Corsica. 45,000 households were temporarily without electricity. There were also storms and flooded streets in other parts of France, such as in Marseille.
In Austria, the severe storms claimed five lives on Thursday. An Upper Austrian is also among the victims. Read more here:
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Source: Nachrichten
