In Most, a wooden Orthodox church collapsed in the morning

Most - In Most, a wooden Orthodox church collapsed this morning. It was probably due to strong winds, said police spokeswoman Veronika Hyšplerová to ČTK. She does not know if anyone was injured during the collapse of the church. The extent of the damage is also unknown. "So far, I can only confirm the fall of the church," the spokeswoman stated.

The sacred building was constructed recently. The Orthodox Church built the St. Valentine’s Cathedral in 2010 in the style of so-called Transylvanian Gothic as a memorial to Romanian citizens who perished in Czechoslovakia during World War II. The wooden components of the church were made in the Romanian village of Brsana in Transylvania and transported to Most, where the construction was completed.

The construction used oak, spruce, and fir wood. The church was built using traditional methods without the use of nails, except for the shingle roof. The southern facade included a 23-meter high tower. The church was consecrated on October 9, 2011, in the presence of representatives of the Orthodox Church from both the Czech Republic and Romania. However, the complex was never fully completed, and thus never officially approved.

Strong winds have been causing problems throughout the Ústí region since morning. "We have already had 200 incidents," said an operational officer from the fire department in Ústí to ČTK. Firefighters most frequently respond to fallen trees. In Louny, around 8:30 AM, the roof of an apartment building "flew off." 15 people had to be evacuated. "No one was hurt," Hyšplerová said.

According to Martin Novák from the regional branch of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute, the strongest gust in northern Bohemia this morning was recorded on Milešovka.

"It was 40.5 meters per second, which is about 145 kilometers per hour," he stated. Even in lower areas, strong winds were measured, with meteorologists recording over 100 kilometers per hour in Ústí-Kočkov, Tušimice, and Doksany.