Storm killes three people in Spain

Streets and rail lines also had to be closed to traffic. The three deaths were reported in Kantabrien in northern Spain after three engineers at a ski station and their cross-country vehicle plunged into a 300-metre-deep gorge. Police reported that strong winds had swept the vehicle off the road.

Gusts in the area had reached 150 kilometres per hour. At least six injuries were also reported - some of them severe - primarily from limbs falling on people, concrete walls collapsing and winds driving cars into oncoming traffic. In Lugo in the Galicia region, part of a famous Roman wall collapsed after it recently had been declared a World Heritage Site.

High winds also uprooted trees and electricity pylons and tore the roofs off houses. The entire fishing fleet of northern Spain stayed moored in the harbour. Weather forecasts predicted calmer weather for Friday.

(la/dpa)