Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

Rainstorms bring relief as Europe feels 1st summer heatwave

(c) Copyright 2021, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten

Thunderstorms brought a much-needed cooldown to parts of Western Europe over the weekend as the continent sweltered under its first summer heatwave.

Forecasters predicted further downpours Monday moving westward toward Poland which has seen five days of unusually hot weather.

Germany s national weather service DWD said temperatures in the west and north of the country dropped from over 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) over the weekend to about 20 C (68 F) after a night of heavy rain.

In France, strong winds and tornados over the weekend caused some damage, including toppling a church spire in the village of Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil, southwest of Paris.

No serious injuries were reported as a result of the storms. But authorities in Germany say several people have drowned in recent days while seeking relief from the heat in pools, lakes and rivers.

Police in the Netherlands said two bodies were found in recent days at different locations in the Waal River, a branch of the Rhine but provided no further details. Authorities in neighboring Germany have been searching for two girls, aged 13 and 14, who went missing while swimming in the Rhine near Duisburg last week. A third teen was pulled out of the river Wednesday but couldn't be resuscitated.

Police in Austria said a 26-year-old man died Sunday after jumping from a 40-meter (131-foot) cliff at the Wolfgangsee lake.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.