One Dead as Gale Force Winds Hit North Croatia

Gale-force winds hit northern Croatia on Monday, leaving one man dead and at least a dozen people injured and disrupting road and sea traffic.

Along the northern Adriatic coast, winds were gusting up to 221 kilometers (136 miles) an hour, halting ferry services and closing bridges linking the islands of Krk and Pag, officials said.

A 46-year-old man was killed by a falling tree that was brought down by strong winds at a farm near the town of Novi Marof north of Zagreb, police said.

Among the injured were two construction workers in the port of Rijeka who fell from a building site, a hospital said.

Three children from the nearby small town of Opatija were also hospitalized after being hit by branches ripped from trees, but their lives were not in danger.

In the capital Zagreb bus and tramway traffic was severely disrupted and one woman was hurt when a tree fell on a car.

According to weather forecasts, the winds are set to ease late Monday.