Polish president sends condolences to storm victims

“I give my deep sympathy to the victims' close ones,” Duda said in a statement on his official website.

“I want to assure that you are not alone in this dramatic experience. So I send you my heartfelt thoughts and as the president assure that Polish authorities will do all they can ensure you get the help you need,” he added.

Poland's interior ministry on Monday announced that some 6,000 families affected by the storms will be entitled to aid from a pool of more than PLN 30 million earmarked for immediate support and repairs of property damage.

Meanwhile, the Caritas charity affiliated with the Catholic Church is fundraising for the affected families and also offering immediate support to those in need.

Six people died and dozens were injured after violent storms with heavy downpour and fierce winds swept through Poland on Friday night and Saturday morning.

A 60-year-old woman died on Monday from head injuries which she sustained when parts of a barn she had found shelter in collapsed.

The other victims were two girl scouts, one aged 13, the other 14, a 48-year-old man who was crushed to death by a falling tree, a 29-year-old man who was killed when his tent was knocked over by the wind, and a 56-year-old woman who was killed by a falling chimney.

The storms also injured dozens, cut power to 500,000 people in its peak, and saw several locales cut off by debris lying on roads.

Fire fighters were called out 15,000 times.

Thirty thousand hectares of forest were also destroyed in the storms, a spokeswoman for the State Forests National Forest Holding said after storms.

The spokeswoman, Anna Malinowska, said that at least seven million cubic metres of timber were damaged and that “huge losses” in animal numbers were recorded.

A number of forests are closed while broken trees and branches pose a threat to visitors, she said. (vb)

Source: PAP, IAR