Video: Severe storms kill woman after tree crushes car; Fires sparked nationwide
Updated at 9:00 to add that the tree crash victim has died.
Severe thunderstorms overnight killed one person, sparked multiple fires, and caused widespread damage across the Netherlands before the KNMI ended its code orange weather warning at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Code yellow remains in effect nationwide because of isolated thunderstorms in parts of the country, apart from Friesland, Groningen, and the Wadden Islands.
The most serious incident occurred in 't Haantje in the municipality of Coevorden, where a tree toppled across a road and crushed a car. Police reported that a 25-year-old woman from Joure, in Friesland, was killed in the crash. It was unclear whether other people were inside the vehicle. Emergency services initially deployed in large numbers because of uncertainty over the situation.
The storms brought lightning, strong wind gusts and hailstones measuring about 2 centimeters in diameter. In Midden-Nederland, an NL-Alert urged residents in Flevoland and neighboring municipalities to stay indoors and call 112 only in life-threatening situations.
“The control room is really being flooded. We are also receiving many reports of trees on roads and parts blown off roofs,” the Flevoland safety region said.
A Utrecht fire department spokesperson said many reports involved fallen trees, roof damage and blown-off branches and urged residents to call only when firefighters were genuinely needed.
Emergency services in Twente handled about 170 reports and responded in nearly every municipality. In Hengelo, trees blocked roads and firefighters spent hours clearing them. In Mander, floodwaters inundated the grounds of a watermill where a wedding was underway, but all 150 guests and the bride and groom escaped safely.
A tree also collapsed onto a party tent in Hollandscheveld. Everyone got out safely and no one was injured. Elsewhere in Drenthe, a car overturned into a ditch along the Hoogeveenseweg in Zuidwolde. Storm damage was also reported in Valthe, Annen, Witteveen, Drouwenermond and 2e Exloërmond village.
Lightning strikes caused fires in several places. In Hooglanderveen, a lightning strike ignited the roof of a house and the fire spread through the ridge to a neighboring home, according to the safety region. In Uddel, a fire possibly caused by lightning damaged a house with a thatched roof, the Veiligheidsregio Noord- en Oost-Gelderland said.
A house in Leek was destroyed after a lightning strike, according to a local press photographer. A roof fire also broke out in Breezand, although it was unclear whether the storm caused it.
Earlier Friday evening, suspected lightning strikes also prompted fire responses in Schoondijke and Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. Around midnight, authorities in Gooi en Vechtstreek reported numerous incidents, including a lightning-related fire in Hilversum. Other possible lightning-related house fires were reported in the Utrecht region.
In Zwolle, part of the roof of a mail sorting center collapsed after heavy rainfall and strong winds. In Molenschot near Breda, a large tree fell onto a house and a parked car, but no one was injured. Fallen trees in Veendam and Muntendam caused gas leaks and damage to homes, according to Veiligheidsregio Groningen.
Train services were disrupted Saturday morning. A damaged overhead line halted trains between Geldermalsen and Den Bosch. A tree on the tracks suspended service between Hoogeveen and Beilen, while reduced service operated between Zuidbroek and Veendam.
Buienradar recorded a wind gust of 70 mph in Vlissingen. Despite hundreds of reports, emergency services said the situation remained manageable after staffing had been increased ahead of the storms.
