Reuters
NOS . News•
In the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl was killed after being struck in the head by a hailstone. Local media said she was injured and taken to a hospital in Girona, where she died.
El Pais newspaper reported that 50 other people were injured in the hailstorm in the northeastern region. More than thirty victims were taken to hospital, most of them with head injuries.
The Catalan President of Aragon expressed his condolences to the girl’s relatives. He writes: “I was deeply affected by this tragedy.” Twitter. “A very big hug.”
Snow globes 10 cm long
Girona was hit by a severe hailstorm for a few minutes last night. According to El País, it was the deadliest hailstorm ever recorded in Catalonia in 20 years.
Hailston the size of tennis balls, about four inches in size, left a trail of destruction near the city of Girona.
Pictures of hailstones were posted on social media:
Severe weather accompanied by huge hail in northeastern Catalonia
There were reports of damage to homes and dozens of cars in nearby villages. Power lines were also damaged.
Weather code orange
Yesterday, weather warnings were issued in several regions of Catalonia due to approaching severe weather. According to the Spanish Meteorological Service, the torrential rains were fueled by the heat that is still present in the area.
Even today, the orange weather code is still in effect in Girona, because there is still a chance of strong winds and hail. Storms and heavy rain expected in the area around Barcelona.
