CAPITALS, 26th October, 2026 (WAM) -- Storms battered northern Europe Sunday, killing a man, cutting power to more than 150,000 homes and disrupting travel and phone networks, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
A man died when a tree fell on him in southwestern Scotland, while a runner in a marathon in the northern French city of Lille was injured when a tree was felled by strong winds during the race.
More than 82,000 homes in Britain, nearly 60,000 in France and at least 10,000 in Germany had power cuts inflicted by the passage of storms Boelo and Austen within 24 hours of each other, authorities in the countries said.
Britain's Energy Networks Association said more than 400,000 homes had lost power at some stage during the storms.
In the Argyll and Bute region of western Scotland, winds of up to 135 kilometres an hour were recorded. Trees and power cables brought down by the storm blocked roads and rail lines across Scotland and northern England. Authorities warned of flood risk in regions in Scotland and England.
Some 59,000 homes remained without power at midday Sunday, mainly in Normandy and Brittany. In Germany, Austen cut power to 10,000 homes in and around the southwestern town of Freiburg-Brisgau on Sunday. The town's main hospital said it had had to limit service to emergency cases because of the blackout that also cut the mobile phone network.
The storms also hit the Netherlands and Belgium, where falling trees injured four people in Brussels on Saturday. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or diverted because of the storms across northern Europe. AFP counted some 90 flights cancelled on Amsterdam's Schiphol airport website.
The Met Office, the UK's national weather service, warned that Storm Boelo posed risks from flying debris and large waves, urging people to stay indoors as much as possible.