Córdoba: Two dead, more than 300 evacuated after severe thunderstorm

Two people were killed, fifteen were injured, while 355 had to be evacuated after a severe hail and thunder storm hit the city of Córdoba. Emergency rescue services said that people reported trees falling, traffic lights malfunctioning, flooded streets and roofs being ripped apart by the strong winds.

A 46-year old man identified as Jorge Carrizo was killed after a tree fell on top of the car he was driving, over Capdevila Ave., located to the east of the Mediterranean city. 

The second victim was a woman that fell off her motorbike after it hit a fallen tree that was blocking López y Planes street at the neighborhood of San Vicente. 

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner called personally Córdoba's Governor José Manuel de la Sota, to be informed about the situation, acording to an official communiqué released by the government of Córdoba.

The communiqué also explains that De la Sota "had two phone conversations with Social Development Minister Alicia Kirchner in which terms of national aid for Córdoba were discussed."

Likewise, the governor held conversations with Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo who guaranteed the former the deploy of Gendarmerie officers as part of the efforts to bring help and relief to some of the most affected areas.

Public services were collapsed due to the high number of people in need of assistance, while a Civil Defence spokesman said that at much as 70 percent of the city streets had experienced trees falling.

The rain began minutes after 3 pm, even though this morning in Córdoba the sun was shining and high temperatures were registered. 

Sources have confirmed many fallen tress and electricity poles throughout the capital city, with many of its streets inaccessible to traffic and power outages in several neighbourhoods.

Traffic on Route 5, uniting Córdoba with Alta Gracia, had to be interrupted due to dangerous weather conditions.