TWO DEAD IN POWERFUL STORMS IN LITHUANIA AND LATVIA

RIGA, AUGUST 23 /SRNA/ - Two people have been killed in storms accompanied by strong winds that swept across Latvia and Lithuania, causing widespread power outages, officials said.

Emergency services recovered the body of a man from beneath a fallen tree in the Lithuanian village of Mazionis, while another man was killed after debris from a building fell on him in the Latvian city of Jelgava. Several people were taken to hospital with injuries, DPA reported. According to the national power grid operator, more than 250,000 households were temporarily left without electricity in Lithuania, while a similar number were affected in neighbouring Latvia. "This is definitely the worst storm we have recorded this summer," a meteorologist from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service told national radio. In Latvia, news agency Leta reported, citing meteorological data, that the storm was the most destructive to hit the country since 2005. The storms were accompanied by winds of up to 30 meters per second, while further rainfall and strong winds are expected today. Authorities have issued warnings in both countries.