Storm Amy kills two in northern France and cuts power

"Parts of Northern France declared an orange alert on Saturday afternoon due to the strong winds of Storm Amy, which has already caused two deaths in the country. "Storm Amy is moving across the British Isles, causing strong gusts of wind in the departments near the English Channel coast and in the northern inland departments of the country," French weather service Meteo France said."

"France's northern coast recorded its strongest winds since the beginning of the week, with gusts reaching 131 kilometres (81 miles) and up to 110 kph inland. Two men aged 18 and 48 went swimming in the sea at Etretat near Le Havre despite poor weather conditions on Saturday morning, and the older man did not make it back to shore. Firefighters said the storm prevented rescue teams from intervening, and his body was recovered at low tide in the afternoon."

"Also during the afternoon, a large tree branch fell onto a vehicle that had been driving on a road in the northern Aisne region. READ ALSO: Northern France braces for Storm Amy with winds up to 120km/h The male driver, 25, was killed while another passenger was severely injured and hospitalised in Amiens, the prefecture told AFP. The storm left up to 5,000 households in Normandy without electricity on Saturday morning."

Storm Amy moved across the British Isles and struck northern France with strong gusts along the English Channel coast and inland. Gusts reached 131 kilometres per hour on the northern coast and up to 110 kph inland. Two men who entered the sea at Etretat near Le Havre drowned; an 18-year-old survived and a 48-year-old did not return to shore, with rescue hindered by the storm and the body recovered at low tide. A falling tree branch crushed a vehicle in Aisne, killing a 25-year-old driver and seriously injuring a passenger. Up to 5,000 Normandy households lost power and regional speed limits and orange alerts were imposed.

Read at The Local France