Two people were reported killed and 39 injured after strong winds battered Poland overnight from Thursday to Friday, toppling trees, ripping roofs off buildings and causing flooding.

Firefighters said they were called out almost 10,000 times to remove felled trees and deal with the aftermath of powerful winds and heavy rain.

Among the fatalities is a 67-year-old man from the western town of Ośno Lubuskie, who fell off the roof of his house while trying to secure it against the weather.

The gales damaged the roofs of 890 buildings and uprooted about 9,000 trees, firefighters said.

Almost 714,000 customers were without electricity, most of them in the western Lubuskie province, according to the Government Centre for Security (RCB).

Interior and Administration Minister Mariusz Błaszczak on Friday morning held a videoconference with State Fire Service commanders in the affected regions to discuss ways of dealing with the damage. (gs)

Source: IAR