5 dead, hundreds injured by rare tornado in Czech Republic

A rare tornado believed to be the most devastating twister in the Czech Republic’s modern history has torn through country’s southeast, killing at least five people and injured hundreds, rescue services and police said on Friday.

The tornado touched down late Thursday as strong thunderstorms hit the entire country. Seven towns and villages sustained heavy damage that included buildings turned to rubble and overturned cars. The storms were accompanied by hail which in some cases was as big as tennis balls.

Over 40,000 households remain without electricity in the southeastern region of the country.

Some 360 extra police officers were dispatched to the area, along with army troops. Rescue crews from across the country were joined by counterparts from nearby Austria and Slovakia.

They were using drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs to search through the rubble.

Police said at least five people were found dead, but regional government chief Jan Grolich said he would expect the death toll to rise.

“It’s a huge tragedy,” Prime Minister Andrej Babis said. Babis was in Brussels to attend an EU summit and was planning to visit the damage-hit region on Friday. He said he has asked the EU for help.

“I’d like to offer my condolences to the families of the victims,” Babis said. “We as the government will do all we can to help the people because it’s a real apocalypse.” He said some 2,000 buildings have been damaged.

Hrusky Deputy Mayor Marek Babisz told Czech public radio that half of his town was almost completely wiped out.

“The church is without the tower, the elementary school has no roof and insulation any more, only walls remained from what were houses...It’s really terrible.”

Meteorologist Martin Setvak said it was the most damaging tornado in the country’s modern history. He said it’s still unclear whether it was a single twister or several independent ones.

According to Setvak, the country experienced anywhere between one and seven tornadoes annually up until 2020, but all were relatively weak.