More than 200,000 people in Canada's capital region of Ottawa were without power on Saturday and two people were critically injured after a powerful tornado ripped apart dozens of homes and threw cars into the air.

After visiting the hard-hit Dunrobin area, in the city's west, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson likened it to an aerial bombing, adding that Friday's tornado was among "the top two or three traumatic events that have affected our city" in history.

"I've experienced nothing like this in all my life living in Ottawa."

Gatineau, in Quebec province just north of Ottawa, was also hit hard by the storm whose winds reached 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour).

Around 30 people were hurt, with six hospitalized and two in critical condition as of Saturday, according to hospital authorities.

The storm also downed dozens of electric lines throughout the region, as Mayor Watson predicted it may take several days for power to return to everyone affected.

In the Mont-Bleu neighborhood of Gatineau, a resident filmed a video showing hundreds of pieces of debris swirling through the air between buildings.

"There was a power cut and less than a minute later, the wind began hitting windows," Vincent-Carl Leriche told AFP. "The tornado itself lasted less than two minutes. The debris was flying everywhere, I have never seen anything like it, except in Hollywood," he added.

Central Canada generally sees dozens of tornadoes a year, mainly in June or July, but rarely of such intensity.

Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Two killed as storm hits Britain and Ireland
London (AFP) Sept 19, 2018
A Swiss woman died after being blown off a cliff and a man was killed by a falling tree Wednesday as record winds lashed Britain and Ireland. Storm Ali brought gusts of more than 90 miles (145 kilometres) an hour and intense rainstorms. Officials said the Swiss woman died in her sleep when her caravan was swept off a cliff on the west of Ireland. Footage showed smashed pieces of the vehicle being battered by the waves on the shore. The falling tree killed a local man in Northern Ireland. ... read more