Three die as Tropical Storm Ophelia lashes Ireland
More than 360,000 homes and businesses are without electricity with another 100,000 outages are expected overnight
Louth — Tropical Storm Ophelia claimed its first victims in Ireland, as three people died amid some of the worst weather conditions to hit the country in 50 years. A woman in her 70s was killed after a tree fell on her car in Waterford in the south-east of the country, state broadcaster RTE said. A man in his 30s died while clearing a fallen tree in Tipperary, while a second man died in Louth, northeast of Dublin, according to the broadcaster. Met Eireann, the nation’s weather service, extended its most severe warning nationwide for the first time ever, with Ophelia bringing winds in excess of 80km/h to parts of western Ireland. Some of the strongest gusts may rise above 150km/hour before the storm clears later on Monday. Banks closed branches, dealing rooms limited trading and airlines cancelled flights, with the storm slamming the south of the country from about 10am. About 350,000 homes and business lost power, RTE reported, with that figure expected to rise. Schools will stay c...
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