20-month-old child has died in Spain after being struck on the head by a hailstone.
About 50 other people reported injuries – ranging from bruises to bone fractures – from the freak 10-minute-long storm that hit the Girona region of Catalonia.
It destroyed roofs, downed power cables and shattered windows.
One of the hailstones measured 10cm (4 inches) in diameter, Catalonia’s meteorological service said.
It the largest to rain down on the region since 2002. Firefighters received more than 40 calls from members of the public about damage caused by storm, mostly from the town of Bisbal emporia.
Councilor Carme Vall “The hail only fell for 10 minutes, but it was 10 minutes of terror,”
Catalonia’s president Pere Aragones described the accident as a “tragedy”.
Officials have now reissued violent weather alerts, warning residents that more large hailstones could rain down on the coastal area.
According to advice from Catalonia’s meteorological service, hailstorms can occur throughout the year but are most frequently recorded between March and September.
Editing by Fany Olumoye, Omotola Oguneye