Several extreme weather phenomena have hit the planet in the past few days. France, Algeria, Austria and China were particularly affected. Drought, heat wave, floods, forest fires and violent gusts of wind, among other things, have formed this weather cocktail.
AUSTRIA: Deadly storm for two children
A storm killed five people, including two children, in Austria on Thursday and left a dozen injured, authorities and the APA news agency said.
In Lower Austria, three people were killed by a falling tree, and two children died in Carinthia. The children, probably aged five to eight, and the injured were near a small lake in Carinthia when several trees were uprooted by gusts of wind, said Red Cross spokeswoman Melanie Reiter.
CHINA: Flash floods and heat wave
At least 16 dead and many missing as flash floods hit northwest China, while heatwaves in other regions prompted electricity rationing and factory closures. Heavy rains fell in Qinghai, a vast arid province that borders Tibet in particular, on Wednesday.
This bad weather caused mudslides in a mountainous area and diverted the course of a river, local authorities said on Thursday, who have reported 16 dead and 18 missing so far. At the same time, the center, south and east of the country were hit by extreme heat. Several major cities have recorded the hottest days in their history.
ALGERIA: Trapped by forest fires
Photo: AFP
Two men search the completely charred carcass of a bus in which twelve people are said to have died, trapped by a forest fire.
Firefighters in Algeria on Thursday battled about twenty drought-related and intense heat-related wildfires that ravaged everything in their path and killed at least 38 people, including families trapped on a bus.
The death toll rose with 30 dead, including 11 children and six women, in El Tarf in the Far East near the border with Tunisia, five in Souk Ahras, two in Sétif (north) and one in Guelma (east). and local media, which also reported more than 200 injured, including 10 firefighters.
According to civil defense, 24 fires are still ongoing in seven prefectures. In the past 24 hours, 1,700 firefighters have been mobilized to extinguish 118 homes in 21 prefectures. The army and civil defense use water bomber helicopters.
FRANCE: Deadly thunderstorms shake Corsica
Violent storms that have been battering the Mediterranean arc since Tuesday have killed five people and injured more than 20, including three seriously, in Corsica, a French Mediterranean island, according to authorities on Thursday.
After severe heat and drought, brutal storms and wind gusts up to a peak of 224 kilometers per hour also caused property damage on Thursday and required numerous rescue operations at sea.
On land, three people aged 13 to 72 were killed by falling trees or roofs. A dozen people were also injured.
Two people also died at sea: a 62-year-old fisherman and a kayaker, whose bodies were recovered. According to the Maritime Prefecture, a dozen people were injured on board various boats.