Fire fighters called out twice as often as usual following violent gales

Fire officers in the Czech Republic were called out twice as often as usual following winds of up to 144 KPH on Saturday. Both professional and volunteer fire-fighters made over 3,000 calls to remove fallen trees from roads, roofs and fallen high tension lines around the country, a spokesperson for the national fire brigades association said.

A girl of 11 was killed by a falling branch, while an 80-year-old priest died after being hit by a flying sheet of metal; several others were injured and hundreds were evacuated from their homes. At one point over 900,000 people were without power, though on Sunday afternoon only 25,000 households were still without electricity.

Hurricane-force gales of 140 KPH were also recorded on Sunday but emergency services said the situation was not as bad as the previous day. Winds were expected to die down by Sunday night.