Poland pounded by gales

Storm damage in Szczecin, north west Poland. Photo: PAP/Marcin Bielecki

Sunday saw the southern Silesia region bearing the brunt of the chaos, with over 30,000 homes without power.

Firemen worked around the clock to clear fallen trees and branches from roads.

Two adults and a 17-year-old were hospitalised when a tree fell onto a moving car in the Silesian city of Ruda Slaska.

The previous day saw a record number of interventions by firemen, according to National Fire Brigade spokesman Pawel Fratczak.

Of the 4802 instances in which fireman were called into action across Poland on Saturday, 3181 were storm-related.

Almost 700 of these were in the Masovia region, and 359 were in the Lodz region, both central Poland, while power cuts were widespread in Western Pomerania, in the north west of the country, with up to 53,000 households without electricity.

Winds reached speeds of 100 km per hour at times, and in the Tatra Mountains, snow returned after what had been an exceptionally mild March so far.

Weather forecasters expect this week to be calmer, although in the west and south west, winds of up to 70 km per hour are possible on Monday night. (nh)

Source: PAP