Published on •Updated
Two people have reportedly died following storms in Austria and Romania this week.
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The two countries have been battered by heavy rain and winds in recent days after a heatwave swept through much of Europe, bringing scorching temperatures and ramping up pressure on emergency services.
Bucharest was hit particularly hard overnight, with flooding damaging buildings and vehicles across the capital.
One person is reported to have died after being struck by a falling tree in Ganeasa, a settlement to the west of Bucharest.
Powerful hail and rainstorms have also lashed Austria, sparking mudslides in the Tyrol region.
A man also reportedly died on Tuesday after being hit by a falling branch in Upper Austria.
The extreme weather follows a brutal heatwave that has gripped Europe over the last week.
Parts of France, Spain and Germany topped 40°C last week, while the UK saw its hottest ever June day. The hot weather gradually moved east throughout the weekend into Austria, Poland and Romania.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, has said that more than 1,300 excess deaths recorded between 21 June and 28 June in Europe had been linked to high temperatures.
“Heat stress is often called the ‘silent killer’ – and European homes, workplaces and schools were not built for these temperatures,” he wrote on social media.