Powerful storm sweeps Croatia and Slovenia after days of heat, killing at least 3 people
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A powerful storm with strong winds and heavy rain hit Croatia and Slovenia on Wednesday, killing at least three people and injuring several others, local media outlets reported.
The storm was the second in two days to sweep over the two countries following a string of extremely hot and dry days. Elsewhere in Europe, a heat wave caused wildfires and public health warnings.
Two men died in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, when a tree fell on them during Wednesday’s storm, emergency doctor Ljupka Hitrova told the official Hina news agency.
“They had multiple head injuries,” Hitrova said, adding that several people also were injured.
The storm suddenly darkened the sky and brought blinding rain, flash floods and winds across Zagreb starting at about 4 p.m. It halted the city’s transportation, caused power outages and left streets blocked with fallen trees.
Zagreb’s emergency services asked citizens to be patient as hundreds of calls for help came in at once.
“We are appealing to the citizens to call only if in a life-threatening situation or of utmost necessity until the situation stabilizes,” Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said on Twitter.
A similar situation was reported in neighboring Slovenia, where high wind toppled trees and blew off roofs.
Public broadcaster RTV Slovenia reported that one person was killed and another was injured when a tree fell on them in the Lake Bled area.
Powerful storms that followed a string of extremely hot days also caused chaos in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia late Tuesday, toppling trees, tearing roofs off buildings and causing power outages.
Emergency services in the three countries reported hundreds of interventions as the storm swept through the region. It also brought a much-sought relief from the heat.
Slovenian authorities said tens of thousands of people were left without electricity and scores of campers evacuated their camps as strong winds overturned their tents on Tuesday night.
The greatest damage was inflicted on high-altitude forests, the official STA news agency reported. Authorities warned climbers in the Alpine country to stay away from those areas.