Man rides his bike after a tornado hit the village of Mikulcice in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, Friday, June 25, 2021. A rare tornado tore through southeastern Czech Republic, killing a few people and injuring hundreds, rescue services said on Friday. (Ondrej Deml/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
PRAGUE (AP) - A rare tornado believed to be the most devastating in the Czech Republic's modern history has torn through the country's southeast, killing at least five people and injuring hundreds, rescue services and police said on Friday.
The tornado touched down late Thursday as strong thunderstorms hit the entire country. Seven towns and villages sustained heavy damage that included buildings turned to rubble and overturned cars. The storms were accompanied by hail which in some cases was as big as tennis balls.
Hrusky Deputy Mayor Marek Babisz told Czech public radio that half of his town was almost completely wiped out.
'œThe church is without the tower, the elementary school has no roof and insulation any more, only walls remain from what were houses ... It's really terrible.'ť
Some 360 extra police officers were dispatched to the area, along with army personnel. Rescue crews from across the country, joined by counterparts from nearby Austria and Slovakia, were using drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs to search through the rubble.
Police said at least five people were found dead, but regional government chief Jan Grolich said the death toll was likely to rise.
'œIt's a huge tragedy,'ť Prime Minister Andrej Babis said. Babis was in Brussels to attend an EU summit and was planning to visit the afflicted region later Friday. He said he has asked the EU for help.
'œI'd like to offer my condolences to the families of the victims,'ť Babis said. 'œWe ... will do all we can to help the people because it's a real apocalypse.'ť He said some 2,000 buildings have been damaged.
Over 40,000 households remain without electricity in the southeast.
Meteorologist Martin Setvak said it was the most damaging tornado in the country's modern history.
'œIt certainly was at least the strongest F3 intensity but very likely it was F4'ť in the six-notch Fujita scale, Setvak said.
F4 causes devastating damage, with winds of up to 260 miles an hour.
Setvak said it's still unclear whether it was a single twister or several independent ones.
According to Setvak, the country experienced anywhere between one and seven tornadoes annually up until 2020, but all were relatively weak.
'œTornados like this are very rare in Central Europe,'ť climatologist Pavel Fasko said.
Damaged cars are seen after a tornado hit the village of Luzice in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Friday, June 25, 2021. A rare tornado tore through southeastern Czech Republic, killing a few people and injuring hundreds, rescue services said on Friday. (Ondrej Deml/CTK via AP)
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View of the wreckage after a Tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
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A house is damaged house after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
Houses are damaged after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
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Damaged houses are seen after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Breclav district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Friday, June 25, 2021. A rare tornado tore through southeastern Czech Republic, killing a few people and injuring hundreds, rescue services said on Friday. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
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Cars and houses are damaged after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
Damaged house after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
A house is damaged house after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
A house is damaged house after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
A house is damaged house after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Thursday, June 24, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
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Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis leaves at the end of the first day of an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, early Friday, June 25, 2021. At their summit in Brussels, EU leaders are set to take stock of coronavirus recovery plans, study ways to improve relations with Russia and Turkey, and insist on the need to develop migration partners with the countries of northern Africa, but a heated exchange over a new LGBT bill in Hungary is also likely. (Aris Oikonomou, Pool Photo via AP)
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Damaged houses are seen after a tornado hit the village of Hrusky in the Breclav district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Friday, June 25, 2021. A rare tornado tore through southeastern Czech Republic, killing a few people and injuring hundreds, rescue services said on Friday. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
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Woman with her dog cries in front of her damaged house after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Breclav district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Friday, June 25, 2021. A rare tornado tore through southeastern Czech Republic, killing a few people and injuring hundreds, rescue services said on Friday. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
Locals observe damaged houses after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Friday, June 25, 2021. A rare tornado hit towns and villages in southeast part of the country, killing at least three people, injuring some 150 people and damaging hundreds of houses. Some 200 police officers and members of the army have been deployed in the region to help the rescue workers. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
The Associated Press
Damaged houses are seen after a tornado hit the village of Moravska Nova Ves in the Hodonin district, South Moravia, Czech Republic, on Friday, June 25, 2021. A rare tornado tore through southeastern Czech Republic, killing a few people and injuring hundreds, rescue services said on Friday. (Vaclav Salek/CTK via AP)
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