TWO teenagers were killed at the Hardfest in Jaslovské Bohunice on August 15 when their tents were hit by trees that fell during a storm. A third person is in a critical condition at a local hospital, the SITA newswire wrote.
The storm began at around midnight during a performance by the band Karpina. Within two minutes, strong winds snapped several trees near a tent park, sending large pieces crashing onto resting revellers. Rescuers rushed to the site, but failed to resuscitate Erik Vadík, 17, and Erik Slabý, 18. The festival, which was supposed to last another day, was immediately cancelled and everyone was evacuated from the site.
The tragedy brings to six the number of casualties at this year's summer festivals. Two people drowned at the Topfest festival near Nové Mesto nad Váhom and another two drowned at lakes near Horná Streda during Toto je hip-hop and BeeFree.
The strong summer storm that swept Slovakia from August 15 to August 16 came from the Adriatic Sea, according to media. At its strongest point, the storm produced hail as big as ping-pong balls and it emitted hundreds of lightning bolts a minute.
The storm caused hundreds of millions of crowns in damage nationally. A state of emergency was declared in Trenčín. A block of new flats in the town's Karpatská Street had their roofs completely torn off. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.
