Paris, France (CNN) -- A winter storm named "Xynthia" battered the western coast of Europe Sunday, its high winds downing trees and power lines and leaving as many as 53 people dead, authorities said.
Hardest hit was France, where at least 45 people were killed, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon announced.
The extra-tropical cyclone whipped the country's coastal regions and moved inland, bringing sometimes heavy flooding with it.
"It's a national catastrophe," Fillon said in a brief news conference following an emergency meeting on the situation. "Many people drowned, surprised by the rapid rise of the water.
"Now the priority is to bring all the people left homeless and still threatened by the rising waters to safety," the prime minister explained. "All services are mobilized to reach that goal as soon as possible."
No comments:
Post a Comment