19 injured, 100 homes ruined as tornado wreaks havoc in Luxembourg
LUXEMBOURG: Nineteen people were injured, at least one suffering broken bones, when a tornado wreaked havoc in south-western Luxembourg.
Another person is in a critical condition after suffering shock and a heart attack, a spokesman for the Operations and Rescue Centre in Luxembourg said on Saturday.
The tornado hit the towns of Petingen and Kaerjeng especially hard on Friday night, with 180 buildings damaged or losing their roofs, according to the Luxembourg government.
One hundred of the homes are uninhabitable. Luxembourg’s Employment Minister Dan Kersch spoke on Saturday of a “catastrophic scene.”
More than 1,000 emergency calls were received within a few minutes by the police and the fire brigade.
The damage is enormous, but can not be quantified yet, he said.
The clean-up will take days, the rescue centre said. There were about 200 firefighters, 40 police and 50 soldiers in action. Drones were also used to get an idea of the damage caused from the air.
Emergency shelters were opened in the two towns for citizens who were made homeless by the tornado. Police presence has been strengthened in the towns, the police said.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who interrupted his vacation, said via Twitter that a crisis team had been set up. “The government is helping those affected,” he wrote.
The team has warned the population not to go near downed power pylons.
Images from the affected area showed the extent of the damage: Cars that were damaged by roof tiles and bits of buildings, by debris swirling in the air. A spokesman for the Luxembourg police reported a “swathe of devastation” stretching 5-7 kilometres.
“All available units and support services are on site,” the spokesman said.
Further strong winds were expected on Saturday, meaning there is a risk that more debris could be blown through the air, the spokesman said. On Saturday afternoon, Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri was due to visit the affected area.
Across the border in Germany heavy storms also caused damage and disruption on Friday evening.
The football match between Sandhausen and Borussia Moenchengladbach was delayed by a thunderstorm, while 15 footballers in the south-western state of Badenwuerttemberg were injured in a lightning strike.
In Erfurt, the premiere of the first musical version of Umberto Eco’s “The Name of the Rose” in front of the city’s cathedral had to be cut short when it was flooded during a storm.