POLAND: Strong winds damage the former Nazi death camp Aushwitz - Birkenau

Winds of more than 200 kph (120 mph) which tore into Poland and the Czech Republic damaged the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Tourists were not allowed to visit the Auschwitz Birkenau museum on Friday (January 19) as construction crews rushed to fix damaged buildings. A risk of falling debris forced the museum authorities to close part of the former death camp, which consists mainly of brick barracks where prisoners were held during the second world war. "We have come to see the museum, so we are disappointed that we can't enter because it's a historical place and very interesting to see." said William Dex, a tourist from Holland. Construction workers had to climb on rooftops to fix holes and re-arrange roof tiles loosened by the wind. They tried to retrieve bricks from a toppled wall, to use them to re-build it as part of the conservation works. "The strong wind damaged roofs on the brick barracks, scattered the roof tiles. A few trees have been toppled and one of the watch towers was damaged as well. The wooden structure was moved by the force of the wind by a few tens of centimetres." said conservation worker Jan Cetnar. Winds of more than 200 kph (120 mph) tore into Poland and the Czech Republic, uprooting trees and knocking down power lines after leaving a trail of damage across northern Europe that has killed at least 27 people. Rail and air travel were disrupted across the continent on Friday and millions of people were without electricity. Flights were delayed in Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In mountains in the south of Poland the wind exceeded 200 kph (124 mph) and some border crossings were closed, TVN24 television reported on Friday. One million Poles were without electricity due to power cuts and practice for the Zakopane Ski-jumping Championships was cancelled on Friday because of the weather. A lorry driver was killed by a falling tree and one man died when a crane he was operating collapsed. Another person died when the roof of his house was torn off. In Szczecin on the western Baltic coast a hotel was evacuated after an uprooted tree fell on a gas tank.

ITN Source | January 20, 2007

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