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House in Beauraing, Flemish, damaged by a tornado
Photo: Anthony Dehez / AFP
The storms that hit western Germany on Sunday night seem to have caused considerable damage in neighboring countries: both in Belgium and the Netherlands, tornadoes are said to have raged in the past few days.
As reported by the Flemish broadcaster VRT, numerous people were injured by windpants on the terrace of a café in Beauraing in the province of Namur. According to the authorities, a small tornado hit the city, whereupon the municipal emergency plan was declared. A total of seventeen people were slightly injured and a total of 78 buildings were damaged. "It was apocalyptic," the VRT quotes a witness. The local cultural center had offered temporary accommodation to the victims of the storm.
In the Netherlands, storms had already caused considerable damage on Friday: six houses west of Utrecht were so badly damaged that they can no longer be inhabited for the time being.
Nine people were injured.
In the region of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park, thousands of trees were also bent.
It may have been a tornado, said a spokesman for the authorities.
Investigations by the weather service have not yet been completed.
hpi / dpa