PARIS: Storm Ciaran smashed into western Europe on Thursday, killing six people and forcing schools, airports and train services to shut down.

A truck driver was killed when a tree fell on him in France while a second death was reported in Le Havre, according to authorities. Falling trees also caused the death of a woman in the Spanish capital Madrid and another in the south of the Nether­lands, local emergency services and police said.

Two people died in the Belgian town of Ghent — a five-year-old and a 64-year-old German woman visiting the country — the prosecutor’s office said. Both deaths were caused by falling branches. In France, 1.2 million households were left without electricity.

Authorities in Finistere, Brittany, urged people to stay at home and avoid winds which were hitting 207 kph (129 mph), leading to reports of 20-metre (66-foot) waves off the coast.

Storm Ciaran, which follows on the heels of Storm Babet two weeks ago, was driven by a powerful jet stream that swept in from the Atlantic, unleashing heavy rain and furious winds that have already caused heavy flooding in Northern Ireland and parts of Britain.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darma­nin told reporters that in addition to the death of truck driver, 15 people, including seven firefighters, had been injured. One person was seriously injured in the northern French town of Roubaix, he said.

About 1,300 people had to be relocated to campsites or shelters, and several houses were evacuated in the Finistere city of Brest after a crane fell, Darmanin said earlier on social media.

Still, the storm in France showed some signs of abating with the Meteo France weather service reducing its alert for strong winds in Mache, Finistere and Cotes d’Armor from red to orange.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2023