Barcelona, Spain | AFP
Powerful winds topping 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph) battered Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia on Thursday, injuring at least 25 people — one seriously — and forcing school closures and flight restrictions.
Gusts reached 105 kilometres per hour at Barcelona port, toppling trees and walls and prompting dozens of emergency calls, the region’s civil protection agency said.
Five people were hospitalised, including one who was seriously injured, the agency said. Another 20 people required medical attention.
At Barcelona’s El Prat airport — Spain’s second busiest — 53 flights were cancelled and eight diverted, airport operator Aena said.
Some roads and rail lines were also disrupted.
Authorities in the region of around eight million residents suspended classes and non-urgent medical appointments, urging people to limit movement until Thursday evening.
The storm, named Nils, also hit parts of Portugal and France. Spain’s national weather agency issued a red alert for wind and high waves along the Basque coast.
In Portugal, flooding partially collapsed a highway viaduct between Lisbon and Porto. In France, a truck driver was killed as southwestern regions faced red weather warnings.
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© Agence France-Presse
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