Poland Stormy Wind: 2 Deaths, Over 350,000 Without Electricity
Warsaw, Feb 19: Two people died and over 350,000 people are suffering power outage in Poland as a result of squally wind, the Polish Government Security Center said on Saturday.
“364,366 people were left without electricity. Two people died as a result of the storm,” the statement said.
Karol Kierzkowski, spokesman of the Polish state fire service, noted that both people died from trees falling on cars. One of the accidents occurred in Wielkopolskie province, and the other in Lubelskie province. According to him, since midnight, emergency services have received 6,378 reports related to squally winds.
Most emergencies occurred in West Pomeranian (1629), Wielkopolskie (1379) and Kujawsko-Pomorskie (751) provinces. Rescue calls mainly concerned the removal of fallen trees and damage to the buildings.
The Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management warned that winds, reaching up to 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour, will be observed across the country on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the railway company PKP Intercity warned that stormy wind may disrupt the train traffic, recommending to avoid travel and pledging to refunds for the tickets.
Western Europe also faces a storm called Eunice, which struck the French coast on Friday, with wind reaching 176 kilometers per hour. The storm then spread to Germany and the Netherlands, causing accidents on the roads, disruption of train and air traffic.
