Falling tree kills woman as severe weather leads to disruption throughout country

A woman died after a tree fell on her car and several people were injured in a railway station roof collapse as gale-force winds and storm conditions tore across the country yesterday.

Met Éireann issued a severe "status red" warning for overnight conditions in the west and northwest although the worst was expected to have passed by this morning.

Yesterday, however, conditions were severe enough to cause widespread disruption and damage in a day that saw roofs being blown off buildings, flooding, downed trees and a heavy demand on emergency services.

In Co Westmeath a woman was killed after a tree fell on top of her car while driving on the Ballymahon Road outside Mullingar. She later died at the Midlands Regional Hospital.

The 23-year-old victim worked at a nearby nursing home and had been returning from a removal when high winds brought a tree down on her Mazda car.

In Cork, three people were injured when part of a platform roof at Kent station collapsed at about 3pm. The building was partially reopened last night after inspections.

There were further injuries in Limerick after a reported tornado in the town of Kilmallock blew a roof off a building injuring three, while scattered debris including slates and timber hurt another two people sitting in a nearby car. They were treated at University Hospital Limerick.

A garda described the weather surge as a freak storm. "It suddenly blew up with torrential rain at about 3pm and about half an hour later it had all subsided," said Garda Marie Twohig.

Tornado
According to Limerick County Council, fire crews from Kilmallock and Rathkeale responded to what locals described as an isolated tornado. "A shed had been lifted from a garden and was carried over the roofs of buildings on Sarsfield Street, knocking over two chimney stacks on to the street," a spokesman said.

“In addition to that the roof of a disused shop was lifted off by the tornado injuring three people who were on the street.”

In the west, several traffic incidents were reported due to wind which reached up to 100km/h in Co Clare. A driver escaped after her vehicle hit a tree before overturning on the Ennis to Lahinch road at Kilnamona at about 3.30pm.

Gardaí said that in general the conditions had caused widespread traffic and transport disruption. The ESB said that by 7pm about 15,000 people were without power on the west coast and in the midlands and technicians were scrambling to restore service.

There was disruption too at Iarnród Éireann. Services were affected by the roof collapse in Cork while warnings in the west led to a 50km/h speed limit being placed on services operating in Galway, Mayo and Sligo.