Historic Dutch windmill collapses in Veldhoven during violent thunderstorms

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8 days · 4 summary articles
A monumentale molen in Veldhoven collapsed during the night’s violent thunderstorms, becoming the most visible symbol of widespread damage after the Netherlands and much of northern Europe were battered by an exceptional weather system. Security camera footage captured the top section of the historic windmill snapping off and crashing into nearby homes and cars, while emergency services reported at least 1,000 calls in Amsterdam alone as lightning strikes sparked fires, felled trees and disrupted rail traffic across the country.
The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) lifted its nationwide orange thunderstorm warning at 05:30 on Sunday morning, but not before registering “hundreds of thousands” of lightning discharges—an intensity not seen in years, according to the institute’s spokeswoman . The storms followed a prolonged heatwave, creating the unstable atmospheric conditions that meteorologists described as “all the ingredients coming together perfectly” .
In Zeeland, emergency services treated multiple casualties after lightning struck groups outdoors, while in Belgium a fatality was reported in La Hulpe and Sweden’s southern counties saw nearly 1,000 strikes every thirty minutes, according to the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute . Across the Netherlands, fire brigades responded to blazes in thatched-roof houses and commercial buildings, and Dutch Railways said services remained severely disrupted Sunday morning after overhead lines and signaling were damaged .
In Veldhoven, local officials said the 19th-century molen’s collapse had injured no one but left surrounding properties with broken windows and structural damage. The KNMI maintained code yellow for lingering heat in several provinces, warning that further isolated storms could develop through the afternoon .
Elsewhere in Europe, Paris’s Eiffel Tower was struck by lightning—captured in photographs circulating on social media—and Germany’s Berlin fire brigade reported roof fires after strikes in the city center . In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency after deadly flash floods killed four people and forced hundreds from their homes .
With the orange alert now lifted, authorities urged residents to stay indoors until the last cells of the storm system moved northeast, while engineers began assessing the structural integrity of historic buildings and critical infrastructure across the affected regions.
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