Heavy storm causes casualties in Ukraine's Black Sea resort

A heavy storm battered Ukraine's southern Black Sea resort of Zatoka in Odessa region on Sunday, causing human casualties, local media said Monday.

A 24-year-old man was killed by a lightning strike at about 6 p.m. local time (GMT 1500) during a sports and music festival in Zatoka, local emergency services said in a statement.

At least three other people participating in the event were injured during the storm, said entertainment operator The Z-Games, which organized the festival.

"The strength of the wind was so powerful that it uprooted trees and tossed tents and catamarans into the air," said a statement on the Z-Games website.

Meanwhile, several Odessa regional media, citing their own sources, said that one person went missing during the storm in Zatoka after being swept into the sea. The Ukrainian authorities have not yet confirmed or denied these reports.

Zatoka, which sprawls for 20 km along the shore of the Black Sea, is one of the most popular beach tourism sites in Ukraine. It receives some 600,000 visitors from inside the country and abroad every year.

Source : XINHUA