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Death Toll From Melbourne Asthma Thunderstorm Increases To Four

The deadly weather event brought extreme levels of pollen.
Clarence and his wife, Amanda Leo on their wedding day.
Facebook / Samoan Gravy
Clarence and his wife, Amanda Leo on their wedding day.

Four people have been confirmed dead after Monday's deadly 'thunderstorm asthma' brought high pollen levels and strong winds in Melbourne.

Melbourne father-of-two Clarence Leo died early on Tuesday after suffering a massive asthma attack.

Leo's business partner Andrew Christodoulou told The Age he would be missed by his loving family.

"Clarence was good with everybody," Christodoulou told The Age. "Fair, willing to help. He always treated people with a lot of respect.

"He's got two girls who he adores, he's always talking about them."

Hope Carnevali died in her family's arms waiting for an ambulance.
Facebook / Fairfax Media
Hope Carnevali died in her family's arms waiting for an ambulance.

The storm also caused fatal asthma attacks for Apollo Papadopoulos, 35, law student Hope Carnevali, 20, and high-school student Omar Moujalled, 18.

The family of Carnevali said she died in her family's arms while waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

The freak weather event caused an outbreak of severe breathing difficulties across the city and sparked 1900 calls to emergency services which Ambulance Victoria said was six-times the normal rate, while an additional 60 ambulances were put on to keep up with demand.

Omar Moujalled died after an asthma attack caused by the thunderstorm event.
Supplied / Fairfax Media
Omar Moujalled died after an asthma attack caused by the thunderstorm event.

Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy has announced a review into the mass outbreak.

"No doubt there will be lessons to learn, there always are in these cases. But every part of our emergency management surge occurred correctly," Hennessy told media.

The weather system also led to the loss of power from 13,000 homes and caused damage to roofs, fences and homes.

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