A little girl died in a brief but severe storm. Images of the hailstones illustrate the danger that threatened from the sky.
Girona – Tragic accident in northeastern Spain in which a 20-month-old toddler lost his life. The small Catalan town of La Bisbal de l’Empordà (near Girona) was hit by a brief but severe storm on Tuesday (30 August), which claimed the little girl’s death.
The girl has been killed by a huge hailstone. “It hit his head squarely,” councilwoman Carme Vall told radio station RAC1 on Wednesday. The 20-month-old girl was initially taken to the Josep Trueta hospital, but according to the hospital, she succumbed to her serious injuries on Wednesday night.
Severe weather in north-eastern Spain kills a small child – videos show the extent
As the local politician explained, the hailstorm in Catalonia lasted just about ten minutes, but these were “terrible”: the hailstones were reportedly up to eleven centimeters in size. Pictures and videos of the storm are circulating on Twitter. A clip shows the hailstones thundering from the sky into a swimming pool as projectiles:
Short but heavy monster hail: Largest grains for about 20 years
The Catalan weather office spoke of the largest hailstones in 20 years, which had rained down in the area near the French border. Other footage, which was also shown on Spanish TV, showed cars with smashed windshields and dents, and damaged roofs on numerous houses. The stained glass windows of the local church were also shattered in the extreme rain, according to photos released by the town hall.
Severe storms had wreaked havoc in northern Italy a few days earlier. Meanwhile, forests and bushes were burning in the south of the country. (PF/AFP)
