Later when the storm calmed down and the fireworks continued we had the terrible view of complete chaos, people still trying to escape, running on the streets through knee-high water. We could hear the people screaming in the streets, it was very scary. Seven windows of the flat were shattered to pieces, and the wind was blowing so strongly that four grown men couldn't close the balcony doors shut. It was almost surreal the way the storm started soon after the fireworks, so unexpected and so strong. I was watching the fireworks from a friend's flat that was on the 5th floor in a building facing the Danube. The whole experience was such a shock and left me completely without faith in the current Budapest and National Hungarian government - very sad especially on a day where we are supposed to celebrate Hungary as a nation. The current Budapest city administration has a lot to be accountable for and a lot to be ashamed of. There was no public service support to speak of. By 9:30, the crowd was a shivering panicking mess, with children searching for their parents and people walking through the rain and wind clutching bleeding wounds on their heads or other parts of their body. At 9:00, there still was beautiful summer weather and summer warmth. Rain was falling horizontally and people went into an extreme panic. There was an artisan market set up around the Buda Castle, and the wooden booths together with all the wares for sale were blown into the air. The fireworks began at 9:00 and the storm began raging around 9:05. I was watching the fire works in front of the Buda Castle when the storm hit. Pity no-one was forewarned the street lights remained off and the firework show continued to the (bitter) end. Going out to the airport this morning there were uprooted trees everywhere. The most frightening were the distraught parents looking for missing children. Felt like what the videos from New Orleans suggested. Lots of flying slates, plants, pots, and crockery from all the restaurants. Almost every large potted tree in the surrounding streets were knocked over and the pots destroyed. Can't show any pictures as the rain was so intense that our camera was wrecked. We were there and it was very frightening, both in terms of flying objects and in terms of crowd panic. Next morning I was taken aback by the destruction on the embankments, as if a giant went on a rampage with a chainsaw. And the unmistakable noise of a HUGE - rough estimate was around 1 million - crowd taken off guard desperately trying to find a safe way out. Cracking noises of fallen trees or various objects falling from buildings. It was frightening not so much because of its ferocity - we are getting used to storms like this - but the suddenness of it: 120kmph wind swept through streets and the sky fell down. You can send your pictures to or text them to 07725 100 100Ĭlick here for terms and conditions on sending photos and video Meteorologists said they had warned that the storm was approaching, and Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany has ordered an inquiry into why the event went ahead. Police say they are trying to reunite many children and parents who were separated in the mayhem. "I lost my sister and her friend, and on my way there were two disabled people in wheelchairs, people just jumping over and pushing them," he said.Īnother witness, Henriett McFarlane, said the freak storm sent debris "flying all around while the fireworks were going on". then the rain comes, but so hard and so large that it slaps your skin like a needle, then hail fell from the sky, people panicking and screaming and running over each other. "Five minutes into the display a wind starts rolling in, about a minute later, the wind is reaching 70km/h. A witness, Armand Versace, told the BBC News website that the speed and ferocity of the storm triggered panic in the crowd watching the fireworks.
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