Two die in severe storm in Montenegro; Swiss storm death toll rises to five
by AFP Staff Writers
Belgrade (AFP) July 2, 2024

Two people died in a severe storm in Montenegro on Tuesday, including one at a golf course that was struck by lightning, officials said.

"A construction site worker in the coastal town of Canj died when a crane collapsed during a severe storm," Montenegrin police told AFP.

They said the worker was inside the crane when it collapsed.

One other person died when lightning struck a golf course at a resort, but the cause of death had yet to be confirmed by an autopsy, the police said.

The storm, which had already hit Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, reached Montenegro, causing serious damage.

Heavy rain and hurricane-force winds tore down trees, lifted roof tiles, scattered beach furniture and caused widespread traffic chaos, local media reported.

Montenegrin authorities described the damage as "enormous".

The storm also caused major damage at the Port of Bar, where three loading bridges and a crane collapsed, Transport Minister Filip Radulovic said.

He added that there were no casualties at that location.

The storm in the Balkans follows a recent heatwave in the region, which caused several fires and health warnings.

Swiss storm death toll rises to six
Geneva (AFP) July 3, 2024 - The death toll from flash floods that hit Switzerland after storms at the weekend rose to six Wednesday after a body was discovered in the southeastern canton of Ticino, police said.

The alpine region is experiencing its worst flooding since 2000 when 13 people were killed in a mudslide which destroyed the village of Gondo.

Police said the body was found in the Maggia river -- the same area where another victim was discovered on Tuesday.

Emergency services had to use a helicopter to recover the remains.

The latest death brings the toll in the Ticino canton to five, making it the region hardest hit by the storms.

On Sunday, three German women in their 70s died after a torrential downpour triggered a landslide in the Italian-speaking canton.

In the neighbouring canton of Valais, where hundreds of people were evacuated as a result of overflowing rivers, a German man was found dead in a hotel basement in Saas-Grund.

Police said that he was probably taken by surprise by the rapid rise of the floodwater.

Scientists say climate change driven by human activity is increasing the severity, frequency and length of extreme weather events such as floods and storms.

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