World

Tennis ball-sized hail injures over 100 in parts of Italy

July 21, 2023
Saqafy Times

Videos of heavy hail in Padova, Veneto, have emerged on social media.

More than 100 people were injured when hail the size of tennis balls lashed towns and villages in Italy’s northern Veneto region. CNN, The outlet quoted regional president Luca Zea as saying that hail up to 10 centimeters in diameter took local officials by surprise. Emergency services received more than 500 calls for help after damage was done to property and local people were injured in some towns. Videos of heavy hail in Padova, Veneto, have surfaced on social media and are gaining popularity.

Many windows were broken and trees were damaged in the sudden storm. CNN reports said further.

“After affecting our mountainous regions, the wave of bad weather has now reached the plains as well, injuring some people,” Mr Zia said. Most of the injuries were caused by broken glass and people slipping on the hail, he said.

He also thanked the rescue workers who intervened and started the restoration work.

Wind speed up to 140 kmph has also been reported in the affected area.

italian newspaper Republic Trees were reported to have been “snapped like toothpicks” and sheet metal roofs were “torn off houses” before landing several hundred meters away.

While Italy experienced hail and rain, other parts of Europe were hit by a heatwave caused by wildfires.

Firefighters battled fires in parts of Greece and the Canary Islands, Spain issued heat warnings and several local temperature records were broken in southern France.

Meteo France said the Alpine ski resort at an altitude of 1,860 meters recorded a temperature of 29.5 degrees Celsius, while Verdun in the foothills of the Pyrenees recorded 40.6 degrees Celsius for the first time. ,

In a stark reminder of the effects of global warming, the UN’s World Meteorological Agency (WMO) said the heatwave trend “shows no sign of abating”.

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