Windstorm sweeps across Czechia

A windstorm accompanied by heavy rain and hail swept across the Czech Republic on Friday night uprooting trees, damaging roofs and bringing down power lines in places.

Transport along several railway lines was disrupted and many roads were closed to traffic due to fallen trees. In Prague, the Václav Havel Airport was forced to temporarily suspended operation.

The highest wind speed was recorded at the Plzeň-Mikulka station in Western Bohemia, where it reached 125 kilometres per hour.

Fire crews were called to over 1000 emergencies in the course of the night and clean-up work will continue throughout Saturday. The worst damage is reported in the Central Bohemia, Pilsen and Karlovy Vary regions.