1 killed in Switzerland when thunderstorm with 135-mph winds tears through town
LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS, Switzerland – A powerful thunderstorm with winds equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane tore through a city in Switzerland on Monday, killing at least one person and injuring several others.
The storm barreled through the Swiss town of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the Neuchatel Mountains northwest of Bern, Switzerland.
"A wind gust of 217 kph (135 mph) was registered in La Chaux-de-Fonds with the event," the Swiss Federal Office for Meteorology said in a tweet. "A tornado cannot be ruled out with certainty, but at the moment the circumstances are more likely to point to a downburst."
Swiss forecasters went on to say that if the 135 mph wind gust is confirmed, it would be one of the highest gusts ever recorded in Switzerland at lower altitudes.
Local police said a man in his 50s was killed when winds from the severe thunderstorm brought down a crane. In addition, police said at least 15 others received injuries.
Police also said that several roofs were damaged and trees were toppled across areas from Cret du Locle to La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Information received from European authorities was translated via Google Translate.
