A weakened hurricane Leslie has slammed into the coast of Portugal, leaving 27 people injured as it uprooted trees, brought down power lines and smashed store windows with gusting winds and heavy rain.
More than 60 people were forced to leave their homes by the storm and 300,000 people suffered power cuts overnight, Luis Belo Costa of Portugal’s National Protection Agency said.
He also gave the injury toll but added that none were life-threatening.
Leslie had been downgraded from a category one hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone with winds of 70 mph ( 110 kph) by the time it landed on Portugal’s Atlantic coast late Saturday.
But state broadcaster RTP said Leslie’s wind speeds reached 105 mph in the coastal town of Figueira da Foz, 125 miles north of Lisbon.
Portugal’s weather service had issued red warnings for high winds or dangerous coastal conditions for 13 of its 18 mainland districts, including Lisbon.
Winds sent trees crashing on to cars and pavements in the Portuguese capital and in the northern city of Porto.
More than 200 power lines were affected by the storm, according to reports citing power authority EDP. Some flights were also cancelled or delayed.
Leslie moved east on Sunday across the Iberian Peninsula to Spain, where authorities issued warnings for heavy rains and storm conditions for the northern part of the country.
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