After a summer of drought, heat waves and wildfires, violent thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds are whipping across Europen countries and led to at least a dozen deaths on Thursday.

Powerful thunderstorms left at least eight dead in France and Italy, uprooting trees in Tuscany and on the French island of Corsica and ripping away brick shards from St. Mark's famed bell tower in Venice. Over 100 boats in the Mediterranean Sea called for emergency help, authorities said.

The storm produced gusts of more than 220 kph (136 mph) in some areas, the national weather agency Meteo France said. About 45,000 households were without power on Corsica, where six people were killed. Dozens of people were injured and 12 were hospitalized in Corsica, one in critical condition, authorities said.

The Italian regions of Tuscany and Veneto both declared a state of emergency, as the violent storms in the north contrasted with temperatures up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern Italy.

Two people were killed in separate incidents in Tuscany when trees were ripped up by storms Thursday, one near the city of Lucca and another near Carrara. Another four people were injured by falling trees at a campground near Carrara.

In Corsica, a 13-year-old girl died after a tree fell in a campsite in the coastal town of Sagone. A 72-year-old woman was killed when a beach restaurant roof fell on her vehicle in Coggia, and a 46-year-old man died at a campsite in the town of Calvi.

Rescue crews found the bodies of a 62-year-old fisherman and an unidentified kayaker off Corsica's west and east coasts, according to the French maritime authority for the Mediterranean. It said both died as a result of the sudden storm and that more than 100 grounded, wrecked or stranded ships in the area have called for emergency help. A sixth victim was reported late Thursday.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin traveled to the island Thursday.

In Venice, high winds detached pieces of brick from St. Mark’s bell tower, which stands in front of the famed cathedral. Tourists were evacuated from the structure, which was cordoned off. The storm upended chairs and tables in St. Mark’s Square and elsewhere, and swept away beach chairs on the nearby Lido.

In northern Italy, an overnight storm forced the closures of a train line southeast of Genoa after high winds carried beach structures onto the tracks, damaging the electrical circuitry.

The storm struck during Italy’s busiest beach vacation week. The mayor of Sestri Levanti, Valentina Ghio, warned that whirlwinds were possible and appealed to visitors to stay away from beaches until the severe weather had passed.

While northern Italy has suffered its worst drought in decades this year, heavy rains in recent days that brought scattered hailstorms, whirlwinds and flooding have damaged or destroyed entire crops of fruits and vegetables along with vineyards and olive orchards, according to the Italian agricultural lobby Coldiretti.

Thunderstorms Wednesday flooded Paris subway stations and the Old Port of Marseille, and winds over 100 kph (60 mph) were recorded at the top of the Eiffel Tower during a flash flood Tuesday.

London and other parts of southern England were also lashed with torrential rain and thunderstorms on Wednesday after one of the driest summers on record gave the country its first-ever 40 degree Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) temperature last month.

There was widespread flash flooding as the downpours fell on parched ground.

Despite the rain, much of Britain is still officially in drought. Thames Water, which supplies 15 million people in and around London, says a ban on watering lawns and gardens will take effect on Aug. 24.

The fierce rains come amid a summer of drought, heat waves and forest fires across Europe that scientists link to human-caused climate change.

Authorities in Austria say five people, including two children, have died in heavy storms that hit the Alpine country.

Two girls, ages 4 and 8, were killed when sudden strong winds toppled trees late Thursday at a lake in Lavant Valley near the southern city of Graz. Officials said 13 people were injured, two of them seriously. Many of the victims were vacationers visiting the popular tourist region.

Austrian President Alexander Van Der Bellen called the children’s deaths "an unfathomable tragedy." The mayor of the nearby town of Wolfsberg, Hannes Primus, said the area looked "like a battlefield."

In Lower Austria, three women were killed when lightning struck a tree near the central town of Gaming, causing it to fall over.