Europe

Storm Leslie hits Portugal and cuts power to thousands

More than 300,000 homes lost electricity as storm passed, says Civil Protection Agency

Firefighters remove damaged trees from the road in Figueira da Foz on Sunday. Photograph: Getty

Sun Oct 14 2018 - 12:56

At least 300,000 homes in Portugalwere without power on Sunday after tropical storm Leslie hit the country’s Atlantic coast, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and surging seas.

Leslie was downgraded from a hurricane before it reached Portugal late on Saturday. Authorities had urged people to stay indoors and keep away from coastal areas.

A damaged house is pictured after a tree fell on during storm Leslie in Figueira da Foz. Photograph: Getty

A view of a damaged car hit by a fallen tree after storm Leslie hit Coimbra in central Portugal. Photograph: EPA

At least 1,000 trees were uprooted, mainly in coastal towns north of Lisbon where the storm first reached land, hitting power lines and blocking roads.

The A1, the main motorway running through Portugal, was temporarily blocked by fallen trees, authorities said.

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A road is closed after an electric pole fell during storm Leslie. Photograph: Getty

More than 300,000 homes lost electricity as the storm passed, said Belo Costa, commander at the Civil Protection Agency.

The storm, carrying winds of up 100km/h, was most intense during the night. By Sunday morning the powerful winds and heavy rains had mostly subsided.

In Spain, winds of up to 100km/h uprooted trees in the centre of the country early on Sunday morning.

Emergency services issued flood warnings for the north and northwest of the country for Sunday afternoon and evening, advising Spaniards to avoid driving in the storm.

Earlier this week, 12 people were killed in flash floods on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. - Reuters

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