Velis, Central Bohemia, Oct 31 (CTK) – The Storm Herwart which hit Central Europe this weekend killed four people in Czech Republic, all of them hit by falling trees on Sunday, the fourth victim being an old man who died in the forest southeast of Prague, regional rescuers confirmed to CTK on Tuesday.
Despite the weather forecasters’ warning against the windstorm, the 83-year-old man went mushroom picking with his dog on Sunday midday.
Central Bohemian rescue service spokeswoman Petra Effenbergerova said a doctor who inspected the dead body in the forest near the village of Velis concluded that the man died immediately after the impact. The tree was very probably broken by the strong wind.
The three other victims are a 83-year-old man from Jicin, east Bohemia, a young woman in Starec near the Trebic, south Moravia, and a 58-year-old man from Bela pod Bezdezem, central Bohemia, who died of his injuries in hospital.
This has been the most powerful storm in the Czech Republic since hurricane Kyrill that hit the country in 2007. It knocked down trees which broke power lines and blocked roads and railways.
