Such a tragedy.
Three children are among 12 people who have been killed as huge storms batter central and southern Europe.
The deaths have mostly come from incidents with falling trees and have been reported in Italy and Austria as well as the French island Corsica.
Heavy rain and wind have battered campsites on the island and the masonry was blown off the belltower of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy.
Following weeks of extreme heat and drought across Europe, winds reached speeds of 224 km/h in Corsica which saw trees being uprooted and mobile homes completely destroyed.
A #Piombino durante il passaggio del violento fronte temporalesco. Allerta gialla estesa fino a domani! pic.twitter.com/sVn9OeOfpM
— Eugenio Giani (@EugenioGiani) August 18, 2022
According to authorities, a 13 year old girl was killed by a falling tree on a holiday campsite
Another man was killed in a similar incident as well as a 72-year-old woman died after her car was hit by a detached roof of a beach hut.
A fisherman and a female kayaker also died while out at sea.
Several campsites in Corsica have since been evacuated as more damage is expected.
In Austria, two young girls were killed by a falling tree near a lake in Carinthia, with three more deaths reported in the same region also by falling trees.
In Tuscany in Italy, a man and a woman were killed by falling trees in separate incidents as well as café umbrellas blowing in St Mark’s Square in Venice and brickwork from the cathedral belltower dislodging.
According to French interior minister Gérald Darmanin, a state of natural disaster could be declared as extreme storms have become more frequent and witnesses say they were completely unexpected with no warning.
