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DW (18 September 2017)

The Sunday storm disrupted traffic and caused power outages in the Romanian region on Timisoara, while also causing destruction in parts of Serbia and Croatia. At least eight people were killed and 67 injured, according to Romanian officials.

Gusts of winds reached nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour in the city of Timisoara. At least one man was reportedly killed by a knocked-down billboard and a woman was lethally injured by a falling tree.

"We weren't warned about this. The weather report only called for rain," Timisoara's mayor Nicolae Robu said.

"There are dozens of trees on the ground, roads blocked, we are out of electricity and water," he told TV channel Digi 24. "There are overturned trucks. I've never seen anything like this."

Six people were also injured by falling trees in Serbia, and a man went missing while out on his boat on the Danube.

Emergency responders advised the people to take shelter indoors, unplug their household appliances and park at a distance from trees or power lines. The storm comes after several days of exceptionally hot weather.

Former Romanian president Traian Basescu blamed the storm on climate change.

"These are the costs of our foolishness because we manage to destroy and pollute the atmosphere in the name of development," he told Romania TV.

dj/msh (dpa, AFP, Reuters, AP)

http://www.dw.com/en/deadly-storm-rips-through-romania/a-40552779