Deadly storms strike Europe
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Campers pack up at a storm-wrecked camping site in Sagone, Corsica, where a tree fell on a bungalow on Aug. 18, killing a 13-year-old girl . Photo: Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP via Getty Images
Massive storms lashing Europe killed at least 13 people in Italy, Austria and France on Thursday, in the latest extreme weather event to rock the continent this summer, per the BBC.
The big picture: Storm-related deaths were reported in Italy, Austria and on the French island of Corsica on Thursday. Wreckage from the storm system was also reported in parts of Austria and Slovakia.
Meanwhile, streets in Provence, France, and London, England, flooded due to heavy rains on Wednesday.
Zoom in: Authorities said hurricane-force winds of up to 136 mph pummeled Corsica — where at least six people were killed, including a 13-year-old girl, Reuters reports.
In Austria, two children were among five people to die in storms, AP notes.
In Italy, falling trees killed a man and a woman in two separate incidents in Tuscany, and powerful gusts caused damage in Venice, according to the BBC.
Our thought bubble via Axios' Andrew Freedman: This was a rare, long-lived, severe thunderstorm complex that you might see roar across the Midwest during the summer — except this time it crossed national borders.
Threat level: The storms follow a summer of climate change-driven extreme heat and massive wildfires that continue to burn in Europe.
- A crippling ongoing drought is threatening countries across the continent.
In photos: Destructive storms lash Europe
