Storm damages Lithuania's UNESCO-listed Kernavė archaeological site
A powerful storm that hit Lithuania on Thursday damaged the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kernavė archaeological site, officials confirmed on Friday. Cleanup is underway with staff and student volunteers from Vilnius University.
A severe storm that struck Lithuania on Thursday left damage at the UNESCO-listed Kernavė archaeological site, local officials reported on Friday.
According to the Kernavė Cultural Reserve Directorate, the storm scattered uprooted trees, snapped treetops and fallen branches across the site. Cleanup work is currently underway, carried out jointly by the reserve's own maintenance team and volunteer students from Vilnius University's Faculty of History.
The directorate has urged visitors to be careful when touring the area, avoid standing or walking under trees, and keep away from sections affected by the storm, warning that loose branches and other hazards remain dangerous.
Significance of the site
Kernavė is considered one of Lithuania's most important archaeological and historical complexes. Its State Cultural Reserve was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2004.
The damage followed a wave of intense thunderstorms that passed over Lithuania on Thursday evening and into the night, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds, lightning and hail. Firefighters were called out roughly 50 times to clear fallen trees, with the south of the country reported as the worst affected region.
