THE brutal wind storm that swept Barcelona off its feet on Thursday has claimed its first victim after a woman died when a roof collapsed on her.
The 46-year-old victim was working at an industrial warehouse in the Sant Andreu district of Spain’s second largest city at around midday yesterday when gale-force winds tore part of the ceiling off.
She was struck by the flying debris and rushed to Vall d’Hebron hospital in a critical condition before passing away in the early hours of Friday morning.
The Mossos d’Esquadra, Catalunya’s regional police force, are investigating the woman’s death as a workplace accident.
The incident came as schools and universities were shut and non-urgent healthcare appointments axed on Thursday as Barcelona and the wider Catalunya region braced for what authorities labelled ‘the worst wind storm in 15 years’.
Emergency services received more than 4,500 calls – the highest number ever recorded during a wind episode – with at least nine people taken to hospital as a result of the blustery conditions.
A 68-year-old remains in a serious condition at Vall d’Hebron hospital with pelvic and leg fractures after being struck by a falling lamppost.
In total, 86 people required treatment due to incidents caused by the ‘unprecedented’ wind storm.
According to airport operator Aena, more than 100 flights were cancelled and ten others diverted at Barcelona’s El-Prat airport as pilots struggled with crosswinds exceeding 90km/h.
Rail services were also impacted with suspensions on several lines of the region’s Rodalies commuter network.
Maximum gusts of 167km/h were recorded in Montseny, north of Barcelona.
Wind speeds also reached 105km/h at Barcelona’s port and 87km/h in the city centre El Raval neighbourhood.
Tarragona remains under an orange weather alert on Friday warning of gusts exceeding 100km/h, with a lower yellow level in place for Barcelona and inland Catalunya where wind speeds are forecast to remain at a breezy 80km/h.
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