Canada storms: at least eight dead amid trail of destruction | Canada | The Guardian

Huge clean-up after Ontario and Quebec hit by tornado-like weather, felling trees, uprooting utility poles and cutting power to more than 500,000

The death toll from powerful thunderstorms in Canada’s two most populous provinces has risen to at least eight, authorities said on Sunday, as emergency crews continued a massive clean-up to restore power to half a million people.

The storms, which lasted more than two hours Saturday afternoon and packed the power of a tornado, left a trail of destruction in parts of Ontario and Quebec. Wind gusts as strong as 132kmh (82mph) felled trees, uprooted electric poles and toppled many metal transmission towers, utility companies said.

Electricity companies were scrambling on Sunday to restore transmission lines. Most of the deaths from the storms occurred when people were hit by falling trees, authorities said.  …