Houses without roofs. Demolished cars. Fallen trees. Debris. A tornado devastated seven villages in the Czech Republic on Thursday evening, and entire settlements were suddenly flat. At least three people are killed in the storm. The local hospitals treat over 200 injured people, including 10 seriously injured.
Video recordings show the tornado in the south-east of the country, near the Austrian border. People are still suspected to be under the rubble of destroyed houses.
Many residents of the affected communities are in shock. “Suddenly I heard a strange roar, as if a train was approaching,” says an eyewitness to the newspaper “Pravo”. “Then hell began, everything flew around.”
“Everywhere blood and helpless people”
The director of a local hospital describes to the portal “Blesk.cz»The scenes in his emergency room:« There was blood, tears and helpless people everywhere. » Many would have lost their home within minutes. The situation on the ground is like a war, said Czech Health Minister Adam Vojtech on television.
The communities of Hrusky with almost 1500 and Moravska Nova Ves with around 2600 inhabitants are particularly affected. The deputy mayor Hruskys tells the CTK agency that half the place has been razed to the ground. “Only the walls remain, with no roof, no windows.” Most people couldn’t protect themselves at all. Pictures show hailstones the size of tennis balls.
Help from abroad
Thousands of households in the region are without electricity. Roads and train lines are still blocked. The government in Prague put forces of the army in readiness for a possible relief operation. Austria sent 20 ambulances and two rescue helicopters, and neighboring Slovakia also sent aid. The mission continues on Friday.
The Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis announced that due to the weather in Europe he could not return by plane from Brussels, where he was attending an EU summit. (hah / SDA)
Published: 06/25/2021, 44 minutes ago
Last updated: 25.06.2021, 13 minutes ago