Storm Nils kills two in France – as hundreds of thousands still without power | World News

Storm Nils has killed two people in France, with around 450,000 people still without power as of Friday morning. 

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said that France had recorded two deaths linked to Storm Nils: one on Thursday in the Landes department and a second “in the last hours” in Tarn-et-Garonne.

She said the second victim was a man who was found in his garden.

The storm was described as having “uncommon strength” by French weather service Meteo-France, with key southwestern parts of the country remaining on high flood alert.

Electricity network operator Enedis said the storm left up to 900,000 customers without power at its peak.

Power crews have been racing to restore electricity, with Enedis deploying 2,100 technicians.

By Friday morning, around half of those affected had had their power restored.

Red flood alerts for Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne will remain in place until Saturday.

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A red alert was also issued in the northern Spanish regions of Galicia, Cantabria and the Basque Country on Wednesday due to Storm Nils, the eighth storm to hit Spain this ‌year.

Meteo-France said the storm had now moved eastwards into Europe.