Tennis Ball-Sized Hail Injures More Than 100 People As Violent Storm Pounds Italy: Report

Hailstones of up to 10 cm in diameter pelted the streets of Veneto, the area surrounding Venice in Italy's north-east.

The freak storm shattered windows, destory plants and trees in northern Italy.

Source : Twitter/@nigroeneveld

At least 110 people have been injured in Italy after tennis ball-sized hail landed on towns and villages in Veneto, the area surrounding Venice in the country's north-east, CNN reported. The violent hailstorm took place on Thursday.

The hailstones were at least 10 centimetres in diameter, the regional president Luca Zaia stated. 

As per the Emergency Services, they answered more than 500 calls for help regarding injuries and property damage. The freak storm has led to broken windows in several houses. Plants and trees were severely damaged and workers had to cut them to clear roads. 

#İtalya'nın Treviso eyaletinde şiddetli büyük boyutlarda taş gibi dolu fırtınası kaydedildi (19 Temmuz 2023). #Veneto #Hailstorm #Dolu #Grandinate #Climagram #Fırtına pic.twitter.com/qDZ7Pd1mex

— Prof. Dr. Mustafa Öztürk (@ozturk_mustafa) July 20, 2023

"The wave of bad weather, after having impacted our mountain regions, has now also hit the plains, causing injury to some people," Zaia was quoted by CNN, adding that most injuries were caused by broken glass and people slipping on the hailstones.

A 53-year-old man riding his bicycle died during the storm when his wife, who was following him with their car, ran over him, Sky24 reported.

Europe has seen severe weather changes this year. Italian capital Rome recorded 41 degrees Celsius on Tuesday -- a new record. Italy, Spain and Greece have been facing unrelenting heat for days. 

Red alerts for high temperatures have been issued for 23 of the country's 27 main cities. Hospitals have been reported to be experiencing an uptick in patients due to the heatwave.

The heatwave reignited wildfires in southern Greece, prompting new evacuations. Authorities had declared the wildfire controlled overnight, but when the gusts grew stronger later on Thursday, firefighters lost control. About 35 kilometres of forests and scrubland have already been destroyed in the fire, according to ANI.

Fire Services stated in a news briefing on Thursday that there has been 62 forest fires in Greece in the previous 24 hours.