The storm, named Nils, tore through parts of southern France on Thursday, uprooting trees, flooding roads and disrupting transportation, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
Severe weather also affected northern Spain and parts of Portugal, forcing the cancellation of flights, trains and ferry services while causing widespread road disruption.
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French authorities said a truck driver was killed after a tree smashed through his windscreen. In Spain, dozens of people were injured in weather-related incidents, while in Portugal a viaduct partially collapsed due to flooding.
French meteorologists described Storm Nils as “unusually strong.” Enedis said it had deployed around 3,000 personnel to restore power as quickly as possible.
By around 6:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Friday, the company said it had restored electricity to approximately half of the 900,000 customers initially affected.
“Flooding complicates repairs because the fields are waterlogged and some roads are blocked,” Enedis crisis director Herve Champenois told reporters during a Thursday press briefing.
Residents across southern France expressed shock at the storm’s intensity.
“During the night, you could hear tiles lifting, rubbish bins rolling down the street — it was crazy,” said Eugenie Ferrier, 32, who lives in the village of Roaillan near Bordeaux in southwestern France.
Forecasters said the storm had moved eastward away from France by Thursday, though some areas remained under alert due to the continued risk of flooding.
