Storms in Masuria. Two people drowned, search for missing man continues

On Sunday, storms passed over Poland. Strong winds posed a particular danger, knocking down trees and breaking branches. Firefighters carried out over 3,300 interventions, mainly in northern and north-eastern Poland.

Read on: Sunday's storms: fatalities, thousands of interventions

Initially, the services reported the death of a 74-year-old sailor who was sailing on Lake Niegocin – his vessel was overturned by strong winds. On Monday morning, random people on the eastern shore of the same lake, near the village of Grajwo, found the body of an approximately 50-year-old woman. This is the second victim of Sunday's squall. Her clothing indicated that she had been sailing. Since no one reported the woman missing, the police were establishing her identity.

– We already know who the woman is whose body was found on Monday morning on Lake Niegocin – said Tomasz Markowski, spokesman for the Warmian-Masurian police. He added that the woman had sailed on Sunday with her husband. – We do not know where this lady's husband is or the boat they were sailing on. The search will be carried out when the weather conditions allow it – added Markowski. The spokesman for the Warmian-Masurian police said that the couple's daughter reported her parents missing, it happened in Poznań. – The daughter was concerned that she could not contact her parents, who had sailed on a cruise – said Markowski.

The spokesman for the Warmian-Masurian police also said that the police reached the owner of the boat and questioned him. He confirmed that on Sunday he had rented the boat to a couple from the Łódź province. – It was the woman and her husband who were just found – said Markowski. The search for the missing man and the boat is currently impossible due to weather conditions – strong winds are still blowing in Masuria.

A strong storm, comparable to the so-called white squall that swept through the Masurian lakes in 2007, swept through Masuria and Warmia on Sunday. Five boats capsized on the Great Lakes. Many vessels have been stuck in the reeds for a day, unable to sail out. MOPR announces that technical operations consisting of freeing trapped crews from shallows and reeds will be carried out when it is safe to do so.

On Sunday, MOPR's measuring instruments indicated wind speeds of up to 12 on the Beaufort scale, which is the maximum value on the scale. With such strong winds, sailing is practically impossible.

MOPR duty officer Mariusz Raubo said that on Sunday the waves were over 1.5 meters high.

On the lakes, 18 boats capsized on Sunday due to the squall, five of which occurred on the Great Masurian Lakes, including Bełdany, Kisajno, Niegocin. Two sailboats capsized on Lake Narie near the town of Kretowiny, and rescuers fished five people out of the water. Rescuers also carried out 17 operations to pull yachts out of reeds or stones.

– At least a dozen yachts are still in the reeds or on rocks. Due to the weather conditions, we are not able to pull them out now, because it is simply dangerous for both the crews and the rescuers. We will pull these yachts out when the weather improves – said Raubo. He added that the boats stuck in the reeds are safe there, because it is shallow near the shores and the reeds will break up the waves a bit.

Raubo emphasized that the approaching weather breakdown had been known since Saturday. On Sunday, warning masts flashed over the lakes, but sailors ignored them. “The wind is supposed to be just as strong today. We ask that you do not leave the ports, do not sail onto the lakes,” Raubo emphasized.

Read on: Strong winds over Poland. Where will it be dangerous?