Strong Winds at 196 km/h Cause Widespread Damage in Western Europe... 9 Dead, Power Outages, and Flight Cancellations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] On the 18th (local time), Storm 'Eunice' struck the UK and other Western European regions, resulting in at least nine deaths, according to major foreign media reports.

On the Isle of Wight in southern England, the strongest wind ever recorded by the UK Meteorological Office blew at 196 km/h, and a red weather warning, issued only when there is a threat to life, was issued for the first time in the capital, London.

According to AP, in the UK, three people died, including a female passenger killed when a tree fell onto a vehicle. In the Netherlands, four people lost their lives, including a driver who died in a traffic accident after hitting a fallen roadside tree, and casualties were also reported in Ireland and Belgium.

Evacuations, power outages, and large-scale cancellations of flights and trains continued. In the UK, the roof of the O2 Arena, a London landmark, was damaged, and about 140,000 households experienced power outages. Most train services across the UK were canceled, and a flight departing from Bordeaux, France, heading to London, UK, attempted to land at Gatwick Airport but ultimately returned to its origin.

436 flights to and from the UK were also canceled. Photos posted in real-time by the UK BBC showed traces of the strong winds, including nursing home roofs fallen onto the streets and church spires broken in half. In Ireland, power outages affected up to 80,000 households, and part of the roof of The Hague Stadium, a football stadium in the Netherlands, was also damaged. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a standby order to the military and urged citizens to stay safe via Twitter.

Eunice is the second storm to hit Europe this week, following a previous storm that caused at least five deaths in Germany and Poland. Eunice is moving toward northern Germany and Northern Europe.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.