Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg has visited the victims of the towns that were hit by a rare tornado. A wind rush also caused damage in Amsterdam in the Netherlands but it is unclear if these were severe enough to be classified as a tornado.
The towns of Pétange and Basharage were hit by gusts of winds up to 130 km/h and some 160 homes were damaged of which 100 are now uninhabitable. Fourteen people were injured with two suffering serious injuries. Over a thousand calls were made to the emergency services. Trains between Pétange and Luxembourg via Dippach have been stopped in both directions due to a collapsed electricity line. Residents who were unable to return home were housed in hotels in the area.
The Grand Duke travelled with Xavier Bettel, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, to visit the emergency services who responded when the tornado hit and the residents of the towns.
Henri is the son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium and he has been Grand Duke of Luxembourg since his father’s abdication in 2000. His father passed away earlier this year at the age of 98. He had been married to María Teresa Mestre y Batista since 1981, and they have five children – and four grandchildren – together. The Grand Duke lives with his family at Berg Castle in Luxembourg.
