LONDON, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Heavy rains swelled rivers and high winds knocked out power in parts of Europe, killing five people and disrupting the holidays for many, Euronews reports.
The news website said the storm was blamed for at least five deaths in Britain.
More than 100,000 homes were without power in France's Brittany region where winds toppled trees onto power lines. Euronews said some households could be without electricity for up to three days.
Seventeen French departments were on alert as rivers overflowed their banks, inundating towns and villages, Euronews said. The high waters cut off motorists, some of whom abandoned their vehicles.
The storm also left many travelers in Britain stranded for hours by flight cancellations at airports that lost power. Euronews said the situation was made worse at Gatwick airport south of London by planned rail engineering projects that meant no trains were able to get in or out.
"There's no flights, there's nowhere to go. Nobody's telling us anything," traveler Val Kelly said.
In Spain, 44 regions were on alert. High winds knocked down road signs, damaged property and caused power outages in Galicia province. Flights were grounded in Bilbao due to high winds.
