Worker dies while repairing storm Ciaran damage in Northwest France

PARIS - A worker was killed in France's northwest region of Brittany while repairing damage to the electricity network caused by storm Ciaran, which has claimed two other lives in the country.

The exact circumstances of the accident are not yet known, energy distribution network operator Enedis said in a statement.

On Sunday afternoon, 247,000 French households were without electricity due to storms Ciaran and Domingos, Enedis said.

Storm Ciaran was driven by a powerful jet stream that swept in from the Atlantic, unleashing heavy rain and fierce winds that have caused flooding in several western European countries.

Storm Domingos hit the west coast of France overnight, disrupting rail transport in the region.

Rail transport in western France and trains between Toulouse and Paris have been heavily impacted by trees falling on tracks due to storm Domingos, national rail company SNCF said.

A train carrying around 500 passengers from Paris to Toulouse was stalled at 2am local time for six and a half hours in the region of Correze due to a tree on the tracks, French media reported.

The worker was sent as back up from the Midi-Pyrenees region, the minister said, and was one of 3,400 Enedis staff mobilised to deal with the damage caused by the storms.

"My condolences to their family, loved ones and all their colleagues touched by this drama. The energy sector is in mourning," France's energy minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said in a post on social media platform X on Sunday.

In addition to the three deaths, nine people have been seriously injured due to the two storms, the French interior ministry said. Buildings have had their roofs torn off and have been impacted by flooding and falling trees, it added. 

Reuters