Heavy squalls

Czech man (57) killed by branch in front of his house

In the Czech Republic and Poland, storms kept the fire departments on their toes at the weekend (symbolic image).

(Bild: AFP/Michal Cizek)

In the Czech municipality of Bobnice, a 57-year-old man was killed by a falling branch in front of his house on Saturday evening. There were also heavy gusts of wind in Prague, where a man was seriously injured and his companion was slightly injured.

A tree fell on both of them. Mass panic also broke out at a music festival in Jihlava, around 100 kilometers south-east of Prague. The roof moved and the power went out, the police reported. People then fled in panic towards the exit. Seven of them suffered minor injuries.

Here you can see a tweet from the Czech police about the music festival.

The emergency services were also called upon in neighboring Poland. In Radgoszcz, a gust of wind tore away two bouncy castles for children, injuring four minors aged between three and 18. In West Pomerania, a scout camp had to be evacuated and fire departments cleared fallen trees from roads in several towns.

Landslide in Switzerland
In the Swiss cantons of Graubünden and Ticino, it rained heavily for the third weekend in a row. The access road to the Valle di Muggio valley was buried by a landslide, affecting nine small villages. Another slope that threatened to slide down was secured.

The two cantons are still at danger level three out of five until Sunday evening. After that, the rain is expected to subside again. A week ago, six people lost their lives in landslides and flooding in Ticino, and two weeks ago, four people were swept away by masses of water in Graubünden. Only one person was rescued alive.