At least 13 have died in the "monster storm"

Italy  

 

Ciarán hits Europe - at least 13 dead and major disruption  

 

Ebba Örn 

 

Updated 17.15 | Published 11.08  

 

News 

 

Storm Ciarán has hit Europe hard in the past 24 hours.  

 

So far, at least twelve people have died after the storm washed away roads and felled trees.  

 

Ciarán hit France and the British Isles on Thursday, before moving on over the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Italy. At least seven people died on Thursday. Among the dead is a five-year-old boy in Belgium, who is said to have been hit by a tree, writes the BBC. 

 

So far 13 people dead  

Another six people are reported to have died in the Tuscany region of Italy overnight, where huge amounts of rain caused flooding in both homes and hospitals. This means that a total of 13 people have so far been confirmed dead.  

 

The governor of Tuscany, Eugenio Giani, has shared a clip on Instagram that shows cars being dragged into the water masses.  

 

"The pictures are clear, don't go out on the streets," he writes, noting that similar amounts of rain have not been recorded in the region in the last 100 years. 

 

Campi di Bisenzio in Tuscany Italy is hard hit by the storm. Photo: Gregorio Borgia / AP 

Resulted in travel chaos  

 

The storm, described as a "monster storm", has also resulted in travel chaos in parts of Europe. Winds of up to 55 meters per second have forced ports to close, and flights and trains have been cancelled. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of people have lost power.  

During Friday, Ciarán moves further south. In Spain, at least 800 people have been evacuated in the coastal city of Gandia after a forest fire broke out. Strong winds cause the fire to spread quickly in the drought-stricken landscape.  

At the same time, the extreme weather continues in Great Britain with strong winds and torrential rain, writes Sky News. A yellow weather warning has been issued for rain and people are being asked to stay at home. The storm also hits England hard.  

 

A tree has fallen in Hasparren in south-west France after Ciarán pulled in.  

1 / 2Photo: Bob Edme / AP

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