Several dead in the storm Ciarán: “It’s a disaster”

Death toll rises after storm Ciarán sweeps across Europe. At least 15 people have been confirmed dead in accidents from the Netherlands to Italy.
– Boats are gone, overturned. Cars are full of mud, it’s a disaster, says José Moreira to TV4 Nyheterna.

Strong winds and heavy downpours continue to plague parts of western Europe.

During Friday, the storm mainly affected parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Italy.

– Of course I’m happy that I’m unharmed, but I’ve worked all my life. We are retired, I am more concerned about my children and grandchildren. says Mario Isolino, who has had his house in Florence destroyed.

Five people died in Tuscany, Italy, where record rainfall flooded hospitals and homes. In addition to the deaths, at least three people are reported missing in the region.

On Thursday, at least seven people died as Ciará swept across Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Three of the people died in the same park in Ghent, Belgium, where tree branches fell on them.

Thousands of trees

Thousands of trees have fallen, causing most of the deaths but also power outages for more than a million households and blocked roads over large areas.

Hurricane winds with a strength of up to 56 meters per second have also meant travel chaos with closed ports and disruptions to air and rail traffic.

– Boats are gone, overturned. Cars are full of mud, it’s a disaster. It will take six months to get everything back in order and to look over the damage. Businesses have been destroyed all along the beach. We never predicted this, says José Moreira, a resident of French Corsica.

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