PARIS, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) — According to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, at least two individuals lost their lives and 16 others were injured on Thursday as storm Ciaran swept through France.
Darmanin stated that the initial casualty in France caused by the devastating weather was a truck driver.
Le Figaro, a French daily, reported that the second fatality occurred when a man fell from his balcony in Le Havre during the storm’s onslaught.
French Minister Delegate for Telecommunication Jean-Noel Barrot stated on his X account that the storm also disrupted the mobile communication network in France, impacting hundreds of signal towers and over a million mobile subscribers.
Due to the significant damage caused by the strong gusts, thousands of households experienced power outages, notably in Brittany and Normandy. French electricity supplier Enedis confirmed that, by 6:00 p.m., more than 684,000 homes were still without electricity.
Transport Minister Clement Beaune urged citizens to limit their train travel on Thursday and Friday as railway services were also affected. The French national railway company SNCF reported instances of blocked tracks and incidents caused by fallen trees and branches.
Storm Ciaran made its entry into France on Wednesday evening. On Thursday, the western regions experienced winds reaching nearly 150 km per hour. Several regions remain on high alert for potential violent winds, floods, thunderstorms, and further flooding on Friday.
