Thousands of homes remain without power after gale-force winds

Emergency services, energy providers and fire fighters are dealing with the damage caused by gale-force winds that battered the Czech Republic on Thursday.

Fallen trees complicated rail and road traffic in many parts of the country. Around 12,000 households were still without electricity on Friday morning, mainly in the Karlovy Vary, Pardubice and Central Bohemian region.

The highest wind speed was recorded at the peak of the country’s highest mountain, Sněžka, in the Krkonoše Mountains, where it reached 180 kilometres per hour.

A wind alert remains in place until Saturday evening, but the situation shouldn’t be as dramatic as on Thursday.