Cyclone in the Czech Republic: trail of devastation after tornado

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Status: 25.06.2021 10:26 a.m.

After a tornado in the Czech Republic, rescue operations are in full swing. Dozens of people were injured in the storm in the South Moravia region on the border with Austria and Slovakia. There were at least three fatalities.

Several people were killed in a tornado in the south-east of the Czech Republic. A spokeswoman for the rescue service told the TV station CT that at least three people had died. However, she also said it was too early to give exact figures as people were still trapped under the rubble of collapsed houses.

The spokeswoman estimated the number of injured “at 100 to 150, from children to the elderly”. More than 60 people have been taken to hospital so far, ten of them with serious injuries. According to its own information, the hospital in the city of Hodonin cared for almost 200 injured people. The search for possible buried subjects continued all night. More reinforcements made their way from other parts of the country.

Dead and injured after tornado in the Czech Republic

Georg Schmolz, MDR, Morgenmagazin, June 25th, 2021

Many houses are in danger of collapsing

The tornado devastated seven villages in the South Moravia region on Thursday evening. Houses were destroyed, roofs covered, power lines torn down and cars thrown around. Hailstones the size of a tennis ball also pelted down. The Valtice Castle, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was damaged in the millions. Numerous windows shattered on the baroque building from the 17th century. According to the authorities, many houses are said to be in danger of collapsing.

Video footage from the city of Hodonin posted on the Internet showed destroyed buildings and cars, uprooted trees and multiple fires. A retirement home and the zoo were damaged by the storm. The mayor of the municipality of Hrusky told the Czech news agency CTK that half the village had been razed to the ground.

Many residents of the affected towns were in shock. “Suddenly I heard a strange roar, as if a train was approaching,” said an eyewitness to the newspaper “Pravo”. “Then hell began, everything was flying around.” His house no longer has a roof, no ceiling, no windows, reported another.

“It’s hell on earth”

In large parts of the region there were power outages and traffic delays. Overturned power poles blocked a central motorway connection between Prague and the Slovak capital Bratislava. In the morning a lane could be released, there were traffic jams. Nationwide around 75,000 households were still without electricity.

“It’s hell on earth,” said regional governor Jan Grolich after visiting the site. “All available rescue teams are deployed or on their way to the Hodonin region,” said Interior Minister Jan Hamacek on Twitter. A search and rescue team specializing in the recovery of people buried under rubble is also on duty. The government is also considering deploying the military. According to rescue workers, help from the neighboring states of Austria and Slovakia was also on the way.

Severe tornado rages in the Czech Republic

Morning magazine, June 25, 2021

Babis wants to visit the region

After the EU summit on Thursday, Prime Minister Andrej Babis was forced to stay in Brussels because of the storm that was passing over the Czech Republic, as landing by plane in Prague would have been too dangerous.

Babis wants to visit the disaster area in the afternoon. The government promised quick financial aid for those affected, many of whom have lost their roofs. The region on the border with Austria is known as a wine-growing area.

Many victims and high damage after the tornado in the Czech Republic

Peter Lange, DLR Prague, June 25, 2021 10:49 a.m.

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