Forest fires in Corsica as storm hits Europe

FEROCIOUS WINDS with gusts over 125mph have hit Corsica and whipped up a forest fire on the French Mediterranean island, amid a storm that has battered northern Europe for days.

More than 300 firefighters were involved in tackling the blazes and two ports were closed and flights suspended on Corsica, while power was cut to 2,000 homes.

At least eight people have been killed and there has been severe travel disruption as the storm continued to batter other parts of Europe.

Fallen trees blocked roads and train tracks in southern Germany and Austria.

The Austrian city of Salzburg, near the German border, was hit by the storm yesterday.

Public broadcaster ORF reported that more than 400 firefighters worked for hours to remove downed trees from crushed cars and roads. They also had to remove a huge metal roof that was blown off a building. No one was injured, ORF reported.

German railroad operator Deutsche Bahn, which had shut down all long-distance trains on Monday, said most of its service resumed yesterday, with the exception of some trains in southern regions that were still being battered by gusty winds. Schools across Germany reopened.

Deaths due to the fierce storm were reported in Poland, Sweden, Britain, Slovenia, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Yesterday, Polish officials reported a third storm-related death in the country, saying a relative of two people killed on Monday when the roof of a ski rental building collapsed had also died.

In northern Bavaria, where a gust of more than 100mph was recorded, the storm produced a record amount of electricity being fed into the German grid from wind turbines, equivalent to almost 44 nuclear power plants.