ZAGREB, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Severe storms caused havoc in Croatia on Thursday and Friday, as heavy snow and winds of up to 120 km per hour swept across the Southern European country. The storms left several people injured and caused widespread disruption and damage to infrastructure.
The worst conditions were reported in the capital Zagreb, where emergency services have been dealing with fallen trees, damaged roofs and several injured residents, Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said on Friday.
Two people were slightly injured in a rail accident in northern Croatia on Thursday, after a train derailed when a tree fell onto the tracks.
In Zagreb, strong winds caused significant damage and left several people injured, with authorities reporting hundreds of interventions and widespread disruptions to traffic and public services.
Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said damage had been reported across the city, with its emergency call center receiving around 1,000 calls since Thursday afternoon, as many as in the entire rest of the country. According to preliminary estimates, around 150 vehicles and more than 50 roofs of homes, buildings and public facilities were damaged, Tomasevic said.
National power company HEP Group announced on Friday that numerous failures had occurred in the electricity grid, leaving around 18,000 people without electricity.
Hazardous weather conditions prompted school closures in Zagreb and other parts of Croatia, while authorities urged citizens to remain indoors. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic urged the public to adhere to official instructions. ■