Hundreds of Dutch tourists affected by hailstorms return from Italy

Some of the Dutch tourists who left northern Italy in buses on Saturday have returned to the Netherlands. The very first bus arrived in Maastricht early Sunday morning and then continued to Venlo. Some of the Dutch vacationers have also been dropped off in Eindhoven.

The bus transport is organized by the Dutch emergency centers, led by SOS International. A spokesperson for the organization said that although the buses suffered traffic jams and delays on European roads en route to the Netherlands, the journey otherwise went well. According to the spokesperson, the Dutch vacationers are very happy to be almost home.

The buses are still on the road. Thus, travelers will be dropped off in Breda and Rotterdam around 09:45 a.m. and in Arnhem around 11:00 a.m. The Dutch vacationers can also get off in Utrecht.

On Sunday morning, a total of seven buses with about 350 to 400 Dutch people will arrive from northern Italy. These are vacationers who were on holiday near Lake Garda and were hit by a storm there last week.

In the night from Monday to Tuesday, there were heavy hailstorms and thunderstorms in Italy, which caused major damage to cars and campers, among others, which could not be used as a result.

SOS International, Eurocross, and the ANWB received almost 1400 damage reports from Dutch holidaymakers on Wednesday afternoon. Some of the Dutch tourists' vehicles were so badly damaged by the storm that they can no longer drive, the TV program WNL reported.