Storms kill three in Spain, two in France

Jan 24, 2009, 15:12 GMT

A highway technician walks near an overturned Spanish truck on the highway between Narbonne and Perpignan, France, 24 January 2009 after a storm with gusts of up to 183 kilometres per hour caused severe damage in southwestern France. EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

Barcelona/Paris - Heavy winter storms led to the deaths of three people near Barcelona in Spain and two people in southern France on Saturday, according to authorities.

The three people in Barcelona died when the roof of a sports hall collapsed in the town of Sant Boi de Llobregat near Barcelona during the storm, officials said. Sixteen people were injured. Radio reports said about 30 people were in the hall when the incident happened.

The storm, with wind speeds of up to 180 kilometres per hour (km/h) has so far claimed five lives in Spain.

On Friday night, a traffic officer was killed by a falling tree and earlier in the day, a 52-year-old woman died in central Barcelona when a wall collapsed on her.

Thousands of areas were without electricity in the Basque region where the storm damaged power lines. Fallen trees blocked roads in many towns.

In France, a 78-year-old man died near Dax when he was struck by flying debris. A car driver was killed near Mazerolles when his vehicle was hit by a tree.

Gusts reached up to 170 km/h in south-western France on Saturday, causing widespread damage and leaving an estimated 1.2 million households without electricity, the French power utility EDF said.

Authorities placed 15 departements in the area on high alert and advised the public to stay indoors. The Red Cross was called in to assist stranded travellers.

Streets were blocked by uprooted trees and railway lines were also affected, with trains carrying hundreds of passengers stranded. Bordeaux and Toulouse airports were shut and the Aquitaine bridge was closed to traffic. Winter sport facilities in the Pyrenees were also closed.

Many people were left homeless when winds ripped the roofs from their houses. Tens of thousands of French residents were also incommunicado, as the storm disrupted both landline and mobile phone service.

The storm was slowly moving eastwards over southern France in the direction of northern Italy, losing power as it went.

Experts, in radio reports, compared the storm to the devastating winter storm, 'Lothar' that struck France and other parts of western and central Europe in 1999.