BBC Online :
A tornado has swept through several villages in the Czech Republic, killing five people and leaving more than 150 others injured.
Thursday night’s storm blew the roofs off buildings in the south-eastern Breclav and Hodonin districts, uprooting trees and overturning cars.
Winds of at least 219km/h (136 mph) were recorded and the worst-hit areas were said to look like a war zone.
“It’s living hell,” said South Moravia regional governor Jan Grolich.
Hail stones the size of tennis balls were reported, and local officials said a string of villages had suffered considerable damage along a 25km (15-mile) stretch of road heading from Breclav to Hodonin, to the north-east.
In the village of Valtice, on the other side of Breclav, Mayor Pavel Trojan said almost every building had been damaged by a bombardment of hail.
The government said around 1,000 homes had been affected and local authorities were working to provide accommodation for people whose roofs had been destroyed.
Michaela Bothová, a spokeswoman for the South Moravian rescue service, told Czech TV that dozens of people had been taken to hospital by medical services. Initial reports spoke of three deaths but Czech media later said the number had risen to five.
