Thunderstorm cuts electricity, disrupts traffic in south

A fierce thunderstorm hit southern Finland Saturday evening and wreaked havoc, including power outage and traffic disruption, local media reported on Sunday.

Trees also downed and roofs were blown off amid the gust winds, which according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, were up to 32.5 meters per second in the capital region.

Rescue workers told a Finnish language daily Helsingin Sanomat that they received hundreds of emergency calls, most of which were about fallen trees and traffic signs, as well as other debris that had been thrown about by the storm.

Some fallen trees disrupted traffic on roads and railways.

According to the daily, as many as 50,000 households in southern Finland were left without electricity on Saturday. By early Sunday morning, 9,000 households across the country were still in a blackout.

And a large shopping center in Espoo has reported serious rain leak, which has wet a large amount of goods.

No casualties have been reported.