Violent Thunderstorms Hit Corsica and Other Parts of Italy Leaving Seven People Dead

Storms with gusts of up to 139mph (224km/h) recently hit the Mediterranean island of Corsica and sections of Italy, killing seven people and injuring at least a dozen more.

Thunderstorm killed people

(Photo : LAURENT EMMANUEL/AFP via Getty Images)

On Corsica, a 13-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on her campground in the south, while a 46-year-old man suffered the same fate when a tree fell on his campsite bungalow in the northern town of Calvi.

The thunderstorm further claimed a victim, a 72-year-old woman, when the roof of a beach shack was blown off and collided with her automobile, as per The Guardian.

Two people also died in separate events in Tuscany on Thursday when trees were pulled off by storms near the city of Lucca and Carrara.

Four more individuals were hurt when trees fell at a campground near Carrara.

Hurricane-force winds dislodged fragments of brick off St Mark's bell tower in Venice.

The storms hit the region after three days of heavy rain, following a season of unprecedented heat, drought, and roaring forest fires that experts have connected to human-caused climate change.

In response to SOS signals from grounded and destroyed ships, officials ordered the evacuation of all campsites on Corsica, and rescue efforts were initiated along the island's western coast.

Several other vessels sent out distress signals, asking for assistance.

According to the French marine authority for the Mediterranean, rescue personnel discovered the remains of a 62-year-old fisher and an unnamed kayaker off Corsica's west and east shores.

It was said that both perished as a result of the unexpected storm and that more than 100 ships were grounded, damaged, or stranded in the vicinity.

Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, visited the island on Thursday and toured the worst-affected regions, including the campgrounds where people perished.

He stated that around 350 individuals had been reported missing after pleasure boats overturned or were set adrift, but that they had all since been located alive and well.

Gilles Simeoni, head of Corsica's administrative council, reported a brief but "very severe and utterly unanticipated" weather occurrence that lasted "dozens of minutes."

Meteo France, a weather forecasting service, warned storms' specific position was difficult to anticipate.

As severe winds began to reach the island, it issued an "immediate effect" notice.

Also Read: American Monsoon Started With a Particularly Strong Thunderstorm

High winds cause railway delays.

Another storm in northern Italy prompted the closure of a railroad line southeast of Genoa when high winds dragged beach constructions onto the lines, destroying the electrical circuits, as per CBC.

The storm hit during the biggest beach holiday week in Italy.

Valentina Ghio, the mayor of Sestri Levante, urged guests to avoid beaches until the heavy weather had passed.

Hail the size of a walnut pelted Italy's Liguria area, breaking windows and damaging orchards and gardens.

Northern Italy has been suffering from the worst drought in decades this year, but recent heavy rains have brought scattered hailstorms, whirlwinds, and flooding, damaging or destroying entire crops of fruits and vegetables, as well as vineyards and olive orchards, according to the Italian agricultural lobby Coldiretti.

Sandor Kalman, a shepherd in Hungary's Southern Great Plain, can only dream of rain to the east.

He grazes sheep in dry areas caused by severe heat and poor rainfall. What grass there is still crunches beneath his boots as he goes across his meadows.

This year's Hungarian weather statistics revealed this is the most severe absence of rainfall since 1901.

The Danube River, one of Europe's greatest rivers, has plunged 1.5 meters in three weeks near Budapest, prompting the regional water corporation to warn that drinking water supplies might be jeopardized.