Number of dead in storms throughout Europe

Aug 16, 2008, 12:11 GMT

Berlin - A number of people were killed and injured in various weather related incidents as storms struck continued throughout central Europe over night Saturday.

A 10-year-old boy died Friday in Turin, Italy, after being hit by lightning while a 37-year-old Italian man drowned off Genoa the same day when he was swamped by high waves in the Mediterranean.

A female German tourist, 27, was missing in the rough waters near Ventimiglia, west of Genoa, and other swimmers narrowly escaped drowning before being rescued nearby.

In parts of northern Italy, hail as big as 4 centimetres diametre was reported. Near Brescia, winds speeds reached up to 100 kilometres per hour, toppling trees and damaging roofs.

Two mountaineers froze to death after apparently getting lost during a storm in Italy's northern Alps region, officials said Saturday.

Officials in the northern Alpine town of Aosta said the bodies of the two - a Dutch and an English national - were found at an altitude of some 4,000 metres and were brought back to the valley.

In Silesia in eastern Poland, a man died when high winds caused widespread damage in the village of Kalina while another was electrocuted in the central province of Lodz after the wind blew down an electrical line.

Downed trees blocked roads and train tracks in Silesia and central Poland, and the Polska Agencja Prasowa press agency reported that about 100 houses were damaged in Silesia alone.

Near Czestochowa, high winds sent a bus into a ditch, injuring two passengers, the agency said.

Tennis ball-sized hail also damaged many cars in Katowice and other parts of Silesia, television reports said.

Severe storms were also reported in nearly all parts of Austria, especially the southern Austrian state of Carinthia and the neighbouring south-eastern state of Styria.

A woman, 41, was killed near the Carinthian town of St Stefan when she was hit by a falling tree while hiking. The group of hikers she was with took cover under the tree when it began to hail. It fell on her in front of her husband and daughter.

Three German mountain climber scaling Austria's Grosser Priel in Upper Austria suffered burns after being struck by lightning while attempting to take shelter from the incoming storm on Friday.

Unable to be reached by emergency personnel due to the storm, the three abseiled down to a snowfield where Austrian aid workers were waiting. One man was treated for shock.

Two people at an outdoor hard rock and punk festival in south- western Slovakia were killed overnight by trees blown over by raging storm, the organizers said Saturday.

The organizers of the festival held in Jaslovske Bohunice cancelled Saturday's programme.