Although it mainly affected northwestern France and southern England, Storm Ciaran caused severe damage more widely. A Danish-flagged sailboat capsized on Friday about a kilometer off the Portuguese coast, hit by strong waves caused by Storm Ciaran, which has left dozens dead elsewhere in Europe.
Initially, Portuguese authorities reported discovering three victims on the beach where the boat ran aground, and believed there were only three people on board. Navy spokesman Jose Souza Luis said that the body of a second woman was found inside the wreckage when authorities were removing rubble from a beach in Santa Cruz, in the municipality of Torres Vedras, located about 60 kilometers north of Lisbon.
No life jackets
The spokesman said that three of the victims, a 56-year-old man and two women aged 46 and 61, are Danish citizens, adding that the nationality of the other victim, a 57-year-old man, is not yet known. At this stage. A Navy spokesman said that the pleasure boat left the port of Peniche, which is located about thirty kilometers north of Santa Cruz, on Friday morning with three people on board, and its passengers were not wearing life jackets.
Although Portugal was not “directly affected” by Storm Ciaran, the National Institute of Meteorology (IPMA) put the central and northern coastal areas of the country on red alert due to extremely rough oceans, with waves that could exceed 7 metres. The association said that a new storm is expected to pass off the coast of Portugal on Saturday and Sunday, with waves that may reach 9 meters high, while Civil Protection warned residents of these new bad weather conditions, which were also characterized by heavy rains. And strong winds.
