5 dead as storm Kristin batters Portugal

OVIEDO, Spain

Storm Kristin killed five people and triggered thousands of emergencies across Portugal on Wednesday, as violent winds toppled trees and damaged homes, roads and key infrastructure, authorities said.

Goncalo Lopes, the mayor of Leiria, said Wednesday afternoon that four people died in the district, including at least one victim killed by the collapse of a structure. Another fatality was recorded in Vila Franca de Xira after a car was struck by a falling tree.

Portugal’s National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection said the storm caused more than 3,300 incidents by early afternoon, most of them related to falling trees and debris blocking roads, with several major routes disrupted or closed.

Power grid operator E-Redes said around 570,000 people were still without electricity around midday, after a peak overnight that affected about 1 million customers, with central districts among the worst hit.

Images show strong winds destroyed the municipal aerodrome in Coimbra, damaging aircraft stored inside a hangar, some of which are considered beyond repair.

A football stadium in Leiria also sustained severe damage.

Local officials in Pombal, in the Leiria district, warned that power outages could disrupt the public water supply and urged residents to ration water until service is fully restored.

A wind gust of 176 kilometers (109 miles) per hour was recorded Wednesday morning at Monte Real Air Base in Leiria, a source from the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) told CNN Portugal. Three other gusts above 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour were also recorded in Leiria.

Hurricanes have sustained winds starting at 119 kilometers per hour, according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.