Storm Ciaran batters Spain, killing 1 young woman in Madrid

Storm Ciaran battered Spain on Thursday, killing at least one woman, causing widespread damage and putting almost the entire country on alert.


The storm smashed into northwestern Spain late Wednesday night, causing sustained winds of 119 km/h (74 mph) in Galicia and gusts of up to 168 km/h (104 mph) in Asturias.

The hurricane-strength winds ripped trees from the ground, shutting down traffic on 62 roads in Asturias and knocking down power lines that cut off electricity for around 10,000 in Galicia.

In both regions, flights were canceled or redirected and train lines were shut down. Many unlucky passengers also got trapped on a train in Asturias after a fallen tree on the tracks cut off electricity. After waiting in the dark for more than an hour, they had to slog through the storm and mud to the nearest town.

Red and orange alerts will remain for most of Spain’s north coast through Saturday. When Ciaran is over, another storm of similar characteristics is expected to pass through, Spain’s meteorological agency warned.

By Thursday, the storm began wreaking havoc further south. Almost all of peninsular Spain was on alert for strong winds, waves or rainfall.

In Madrid, strong winds began howling down city streets. Emergency services reported that a falling tree killed a 23-year-old woman while crossing the street downtown. Five others were injured in the incident in the Spanish capital.

Local press reported that a man and his four-year-old daughter nearly died as well. According to Onda Madrid, a large falling tree missed smashing their car by just two seconds.

Due to the danger of falling trees, the Spanish capital shut down all of its public parks. Several flights were also canceled, re-routed or significantly delayed.

The same explosive storm has also battered parts of France and the UK.

Northwestern France experienced the strongest winds, record-breaking gusts of up to 200 km/h (124mph). There, one truck driver died when a tree fell onto his vehicle.

In the UK, the storm caused heavy disruptions as well, particularly in southwest England, where hundreds of schools were shut and flights were canceled.