Severe thunderstorms: People injured by falling trees in Zurich
Keystone-SDA
Several people were injured during a violent storm in Zurich on Friday, including a 16-year-old girl who was seriously injured by a falling branch.
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The teenager was taken to hospital in a critical condition after receiving first aid, according to Zurich’s Civil Protection and Rescue Service.
On Mythenquai, six other people were reportedly slightly injured by falling trees. Two of them were hospitalised.
The thunderstorm moved from Urdorf towards Winterthur at around 6.00pm and lingered over the city for around two hours.
One person had to be rescued from a building where the water level had risen. An underpass near Wollishofen station was flooded. Emergency services were called out to deal with, amongst other things, fallen trees and branches, blocked roads, electrical hazards, flying debris and flooded cellars.
15,000 lightning strikes
Emergency services recorded 730 fire service and 130 ambulance emergency calls during the same period. A total of 680 fire service call-outs were dispatched across the canton of Zurich. In addition to the city of Zurich, the regions of Bülach, Bassersdorf, Dübendorf, Erlenbach and Meilen were affected.
The storm was part of a series of violent thunderstorms that swept across Switzerland on Friday evening. According to SRF Meteo, more than 15,000 lightning strikes were recorded nationwide.
In Zürich-Leutschenbach, 37 millimetres of rain fell, and in Sihlbrugg, 50 millimetres. Gusts of wind and localised hail were also recorded.
In Zurich, tram and bus services were disrupted due to fallen trees and damaged overhead lines. The city police also recorded around 60 reports of fallen trees, water leaks and boats that had come loose.
Other regions were also affected. For example, hail was reported in Spiez in the Bernese Oberland and in Buochs in the canton of Nidwalden.
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Translated from German, sub-edited by mga
