International NEW

UK storm leaves one dead, thousands powerless

At least one person has been confirmed dead in southern Britain, while thousands of homes and businesses were without power on both sides of the Channel in Britain and France on Monday after a night of powerful storms. A 17-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on her home in the town of Hever in Kent, while a 14-year-old boy is missing and believed to have been pulled into the sea from the coast of East Sussex. Elsewhere across Britain, at least 6,000 households were without power after trees knocked down power lines and blocked several streets. The largest disruptions in Britain were to transport links. Heathrow airport reported 130 flights cancelled. Disruptions were also reported at Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Southend airports. Train service across southern Britain was also down. A railroad manager said service would be restored at the earliest by Tuesday. Around 65,000 French homes were without power across the west and north of the country

after power lines were felled. Ferry traffic on the busiest route to Britain was suspended. Electricity workers were racing to reconnect around 30,000 homes in Brittany, 25,000 in Normandy and 10,000 in the Picardy region, ERDF, the power distribution subsidiary of electricity utility EDF, said. The first storms of the season brought winds of up to 139 kmph and heavy downpours in France. British officials reported gusts of up to 160 kmph. Ferries running between the northern city of Calais and the English port of Dover had been confined to port until the sea had calmed, authorities in the city of Lens said.