Storm Miriam abated Thursday morning, but only after taking the lives of at least four people and injuring over 10 more.
On Wednesday night, Civil Defense units worked to retrieve the body of a young Syrian man who had gone missing when trying to rescue his sister, who was swept away by flooding in southern Zahrani. Authorities had found the girl’s body earlier in the day.
Their deaths follow another incident overnight Tuesday, when a multivehicle collision triggered by poor visibility had left one person dead and nine others injured.
In Naameh, a 10-year-old child died and about five more suffered injuries as heavy wind and rains dislodged a giant rock that fell on a Syrian family’s house.
The family members, whose metal house was near the factory they worked in, were stuck until a Red Cross team could pull them out.
Throughout the country Wednesday, residents had grappled with severe weather conditions from Miriam.
Rainfall turned into sporadic hail starting Wednesday evening in most coastal cities, and winds reached speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour around midnight in the south, damaging crops, greenhouses and fruit trees.
One man was swept away in his car after he crossed a road that municipal police had closed because of strong currents caused by flooding near Zahrani. Another man attempted to cross the same road in his motorbike and was also swept away.
Both were later rescued by municipal police and Civil Defense.
In Jezzine, snow was seen at altitudes as low as 600 meters, while still lower areas experienced hail and rainfall.
Even farther north, on Jnah’s St. Simon Beach, waves reached as high as 5 meters, and footage broadcast Wednesday afternoon on local TV showed several seaside homes whose windows had broken.
Miriam also stopped maritime traffic in Sidon and Tyre, as the high waves crashed on to the ports and the seaside walkways.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
