Freak tornadoes tear across Poland — 1 dead, 10 injured (update)

Freak summer tornadoes have cut a swathe through Bory Tucholskie forest and the surrounding villages in Poland, killing one man.

The tornadoes have struck the west and north of Poland, in counties in Kujawy-Pomorze and Wielkopolska provinces. The worst hit was Bory Tucholskie forest and the villages surrounding it, which is a national park and a popular tourist destination. The forest was badly damaged by a twister that was between 800 and 1,000 meters wide, according to local media. According to authorities, over 100 houses have been wrecked, and more than 400 hectares of woodland flattened in the area. Roads have been closed and power lines downed. Hundreds of firefighters are working to clear away fallen trees. Some trains are having to make detours after debris fell on the railroad tracks. An injured inhabitant of the Wycinki village, whose farm was destroyed by the tornado, told the local television, “I saw a black column coming our way. It carried everything away with it … birds, debris, sucked up water from the lake.” Update: New video footage has been released of one of the tornadoes. In the northern Polish town of Sztum, a large tornado passed through a populated area, bringing high speed winds that dispersed debris over a wide area.