Advertisement

Hundreds of flamingos battered to death during giant hailstone storm

Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones - [email protected]
Hundreds of flamingos battered to death during giant hailstone storm
Around 300 flamingos were killed by giant hail stones. Screen grab: Cayetano Sanchez/YouTube

Hailstones the size of golf balls killed around 300 flamingos in one of Spain's most important bird reserves as storms caused damage across Spain.

Advertisement

An estimated 300 flamingos died and several dozen injured birds had to be rescued from Pétrola lake, in Albacete, southern Spain, after freak hail storms struck on Monday.

While official figures have not yet been released, Ovidio García, from Albacete’s fire service, Sepei, said the number of dead flamingos numbered close to 300.

The fire service was called out by environmental officers at around 10.30am on Monday to help with the recovery of the animals.  

García told regional newspaper La Voz de Galicia that Sepai had taken two inflatable boats to the scene in order to access the birds in the middle of the lake: the most difficult place to access.

The giant hail stones, some the size of tennis balls, caused havoc in various regions of Spain, smashing car windscreens and damaging roof tiles. 

In Torre del Compte in Aragon, eastern Spain, locals filmed the fierce hail storm as it battered their homes, swimming pools and cars. 

Meanwhile, Ibiza experienced torrential rain on Wednesday, flooding the airport runway and forcing the diversion of several flights.

 

 

 

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also