Storm Darragh leaves trail of destruction in UK

Storm Darragh battered the United Kingdom and Ireland with strong winds over the weekend, leaving many homes without power and killing two people.

While the storm system moved into Europe on Sunday, 38 flood warnings and more than 130 less severe flood alerts remained in place across the UK on Monday as communities began cleanup efforts to clear fallen trees and debris.

The UK's Energy Networks Association reported on Monday that about 66,000 customers were still without power, mainly in the south of England and in Wales.

As the heavy winds moved into continental Europe, French authorities suspended all regional trains in Normandy and Belgian officials advised against walking or driving near trees, reported The Brussels Times news website.

Approximately 50,000 homes were left without power on Sunday in Brittany and Normandy, in the west of France, according to the electricity grid operator Enedis.

The storm claimed two lives in separate incidents in England on Saturday, when falling trees struck vehicles in Lancashire and the West Midlands.

Record gusts of up to 154 km/h triggered widespread transport disruption, including train cancelations and major highway and bridge closures, while prompting flood warnings and alerts across the country, the BBC reported.

The UK's Met Office issued its highest-level red weather warning on Friday as the storm approached, with thousands of homes across Northern Ireland, Wales, and western England subsequently losing power.

The severity of the storm prompted authorities to issue a rare emergency alert to 3 million households across the worst-affected regions, with mobile phones sounding a siren-like warning urging residents to stay indoors due to the risk of life-threatening flying debris and falling trees.

In Ireland, nearly 400,000 properties initially lost electricity on Saturday while Dublin Airport faced flight cancelations. By Monday morning, 35,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity as cleanup efforts continued, reported the Irish Examiner newspaper.

On Sunday morning, the UK's Environment Agency issued 65 flood warnings across England and 25 in Wales, along with 149 less severe flood alerts, urging people to stay away from swollen rivers and coastal paths while warning against driving through flooded roads.

The storm's impact was evident across the UK, with airports facing severe disruption as pilots struggled to land at Birmingham and as Cardiff was forced to close its runway.

Asked about the government's response to the storm on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg television program, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: "We saw two people have lost their lives and there has been major disruption. I know the energy secretary has been speaking about the power cuts and has been making sure that people have the power, and my thoughts are with those who have had that disruption."