LISBON, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least five people have died in Portugal following severe weather brought by Storm Kristin, which caused extensive damage across several regions, authorities said on Wednesday.
Four of the fatalities occurred in the municipality of Leiria, north of the capital Lisbon, Mayor Goncalo Lopes said. Two of the deaths were directly linked to the storm, while the other two resulted from cardiac arrests associated with the deterioration of weather conditions.
A fifth person died in Vila Franca de Xira, a town north of Lisbon, also because of the storm.
Civil protection authorities reported widespread destruction, including damaged sports facilities, destroyed aircraft, and major disruptions to rail and power services. Several areas of the country remained without electricity on Wednesday.
At the Bissaya Barreto Municipal Aerodrome in Coimbra, a city north of Lisbon, strong winds overnight destroyed multiple aircraft and a maintenance hangar, causing losses exceeding 1 million euros (1.20 million U.S. dollars), according to aerodrome director Antonio Ferreira.
Power distributors said about 529,000 customers were without electricity, with around 1,200 workers deployed to restore services.
According to the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection, more than 3,300 incidents were recorded nationwide between Tuesday and noon on Wednesday. The most affected areas included Leiria, Coimbra, Lisbon, the Setubal Peninsula, the Leziria do Tejo region and Aveiro.
An official from the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere described the situation as rare, noting that similar conditions had not been seen since Hurricane Leslie in 2018.
While weather conditions improved temporarily on Wednesday, the institute warned of further deterioration later in the day, forecasting more rain, strong winds and particularly rough seas.
Weather warnings remain in place for coastal areas due to maritime agitation, as well as yellow alerts for northern and central regions because of expected rainfall. (1 euro = 1.20 U.S. dollar) ■