Heavy winds, described by some witnesses as a tornado, destroyed a campsite and damaged tourist facilities in Albufeira, a town in the Portuguese Algarve region, on Saturday, killing an 85-year-old British woman and killing 28 others, including some in critical condition, the Civil Protection Region Commander Vitor Vaz Pinto confirmed.
“In the places where this phenomenon occurred, significant destruction was recorded, considering that the campsite has a large number of campervans with fragile structures,” Vaz Pinto said. Some of the heroes are Spaniards, but the regional head of civil protection has not confirmed that number.
Weather phenomena associated with storms claudiaThe phenomenon, which lasted several days and affected the Iberian Peninsula, occurred this Saturday morning. With around 400 incidents recorded per storm, the Algarve is one of the worst-hit regions, along with Greater Lisbon and the Setubal Peninsula. The Portugal del Mar and Atmosphere Research Institute is still evaluating whether the mini-tornado can be classified as a tornado, but winds of up to 112 kilometers per hour were recorded at some measurement points.
The deaths bring the death toll from the storm passing through Portugal to three. An 88-year-old couple died together in their home in the town of Seixal after sudden flooding occurred in their home on a low-lying power plant in a less urbanized area. Elderly people do not have time to activate emergency equipment to alert them to their situation.
Over the past few months since the arrival of the storm, around 3,400 accidents have been recorded in Portugal this Saturday. According to the National Emergencies and Civil Protection Agency, most cases are caused by flooding or fallen trees. The state-run TAP Airlines plane was hit by lightning on one of its engines shortly after takeoff, forcing it to return to Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport due to thunderstorms.
This Saturday, four districts in the country – Faro, Setubal, Beja and Braga – were placed under an orange warning due to the dangers associated with prolonged flooding and storms. “We know that there are very unpredictable circumstances and that we are in this recessionary situation, but there can be no concrete phenomenon that will have an impact,” the regional commander of the Algarve Civil Protection said, referring to an episode of polar winds that destroyed a campsite in Albufeira.
As of this Sunday, improvements are expected across the country, but here’s what remains. claudia It will be permanent because of the numerous damages caused by water, clay, and wind storms.
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