Snowstorms kill two in Czech Republic

Snowstorms swept through the Czech Republic on Friday, killing two people and knocking out power supply for thousands of houses, local media reported.

One man was killed when an uprooted tree fell on his moving car, and the other was killed in a traffic accident on an icy road, reports said.

The southern areas of the country were the worst hit. The gusts of wind reaching 140 km per hour uprooted trees, blew off house roofs, and cut off power supplies.

Roads were blocked and some villages were nearly buried by the heavy snow in some areas.

The capital of Prague was also stricken by the storm. Fallen trees and billboards could be seen lying on the ground. Street stalls selling Christmas gifts were closed.

The presidential palace was also closed in case tiles blown off from the roof may hurt visitors.

Experts forecast that the bad weather will end on Saturday.

Source: Xinhua