Storm “Ciaran” – sailboat sank off the coast of Portugal – four deaths

According to authorities, the accident occurred one kilometer from Formosa Beach. Three of the fatalities washed up on the beach on Friday afternoon without a life jacket and in cardiac arrest. Attempts to immediately revive him failed. When the sailboat was recovered, the body of another woman was discovered inside. At least three of the victims were Danes, a spokesman for Portugal’s National Maritime Authority (MNA) said. A male corpse must first be identified.

The age and further information about the fatalities were initially not known. At the time of the accident on Friday there were rough seas with high waves and strong winds, caused by the tailings of storm ‘Ciaran’.

Five dead in Tuscany
The storm has hit large parts of Western Europe in recent days, including France, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany (see video above). On Friday evening, Italy was finally hit by heavy storms. At least five people were killed in the Tuscany region. Earlier, seven people had been killed and several others injured in other countries.

In France, more than half a million households were still without power on Friday and the damage could amount to 370 to 480 million euros. In the north there was still disruption to rail traffic, for example due to fallen trees and damaged overhead lines. Warnings have been issued of possible flooding on the south coast of England.

Landslide in Carinthia
In Belgium, the situation has largely returned to normal, although disruptions to rail traffic were still possible. Austria and Carinthia were also hit by the heavy rain front and the storm. There were numerous road closures, landslides and power outages. On Friday morning, about 1,600 households were without power and a residential building in Berg im Drautal was hit by a landslide.