emirates7 - The death toll from powerful thunderstorms in Canada's two most populous provinces this weekend rose to at least eight, authorities said on Sunday, as emergency crews continued a massive clean-up to restore power to half a million people.

The storms, which lasted more than two hours Saturday afternoon and packed the power of a tornado, left a trail of destruction in parts of Ontario and Quebec, Reuters reported.

Wind gusts as strong as 132 km (82 miles) per hour felled trees, uprooted electric poles and toppled many metal transmission towers, utility companies said.

Electricity companies were scrambling on Sunday to restore transmission lines. Most of the deaths from the storms occurred when people were hit by falling trees, authorities said.