Gales knock out power to thousands of French homes
(02-10 14:10)
Hurricane force winds lashed France, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of households and prompting the closure of Paris' two international airports for the first time in 34 years.
Wind gusts of up to 140 kilometers per hour were recorded on France's Atlantic coast, with forecasters saying they could reach up to 160 kilometers per hour.
Some 300,000 households in western France were without power, the electricity grid operator ERDF said.
With gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour expected to hit the Paris region, authorities closed the capital's airports for two hours.
All flights to and from the city's two main airports, Charles de Gaulle (Roissy) and Orly, were cancelled and travellers were asked not to head to either of them.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE |
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