Cars were reportedly hurled into the air as the ‘tornado’ ripped through the site.
A British pensioner has died after a tornado tore through a hotel and campsite at one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations for Brits abroad.
The 85-year-old woman was understood to be camping at a site near the Portuguese city of Albufeira, on the Algarve, when the tornado struck, hurling debris into the air.
Dozens of Brits were caught in the storm as it ripped through the holiday hotspot, destroying the Parque de campismo de Albufeira site and causing significant damage to a nearby hotel, throwing masonry into the sky and flipping cars.
Local media reported 21 people as injured, with one other missing; this was later confirmed to be the elderly British woman who was confirmed dead. She is yet to be named, the Daily Star reports.
Authorities described the “extreme wind phenomenon” which caused a scene straight from a horror movie, adding that it was “probably a tornado” linked to Storm Claudia.
Storm Claudia has caused widespread flooding across the UK, sparking a major incident to be declared in South Wales as residents in Monmouth were rescued and evacuated from their homes, the Welsh government confirmed.
Flooding has also hit part of the West Midlands, while the UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow alert for cold weather for large parts of the country.
“It was a phenomenon of strong winds, an extreme wind phenomenon, that affected two units, a campsite and a hotel unit,” A source from the Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command said of the Albufeira incident.
Police later confirmed a total of 28 people were injured, including British, Portuguese and Spanish nationals aged between six and 86.
Of those, 19 were believed to have been staying at the Hotel Eden, with one being seriously injured. Two others were seriously injured at the campsite where the Brit pensioner was found dead.
Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed his “solidarity with the family of the victim who died as a result of Storm Claudia’s passage this morning in Albufeira”.
The city’s mayor Rui Cristina said: “From the outset, I have been monitoring the situation caused by the windstorm that hit our municipality. Today, I visited the most affected areas, including the campsite, where the scene is truly devastating.
“There are reports of several injuries and one fatality, an 85-year-old British national. On behalf of myself and the municipality, I offer my deepest condolences to the family and friends.
“We are working with all municipal resources and civil protection agencies to support the victims and restore safety and normality as quickly as possible.”
