Melbourne 'thunderstorm asthma' kills two.

Melbourne 'thunderstorm asthma' kills two. Two people have died in Melbourne, Australia, from a rare phenomenon known as "thunderstorm asthma", after a storm hit the city late on Monday local time. Paramedics and hospitals were stretched to their limits as thousands phoned to report breathing problems. The trigger was an extreme level of rye grass pollen in the air, whipped up by strong winds. Ambulance Victoria took more than 1,870 calls ,the figure is more than six times the daily average, and at least 30 people are in intensive care. The massive call volume affected waiting times and forced 60 reserve ambulances, police and fire-fighters to respond to medical emergencies.About 200 calls were directly linked to asthma, but 600 more reported respiratory issues. One of those killed by the freak weather event was named by her family as 20-year-old Hope Carnevali. Local media said the young woman had suffered a horrific asthma attack, and lay on her lawn for more than 30 minutes waiting for an ambulance to arrive, while her family desperately performed CPR. continue