Tourist killed as caravan blows off cliff by Storm Ali in Ireland

A woman in her 50s has died after her caravan with her inside was blown off a cliff-edge in west Ireland.

Police and emergency services were on the scene in Claddaghduff, County Galway at 7.45am this morning but were unable to save the woman, who was reportedly a tourist from Switzerland.

A Garda spokeswoman said a woman’s body was recovered following a search at Acton’s beach and the coroner has been notified.

The woman in her 50s was killed when she was sleeping inside a caravan and it was blown away. The incident happened on Wednesday morning in Claddaghduff, Co Galway

The wreckage of the caravan which was blown from the camping park onto the beach by high winds as Storm Ali claimed its first victim on Wednesday morning 

According to local reports the woman was sleeping inside the caravan when it blew from the camping park onto Acton’s beach. 

Irish president Michael Higgins expressed his sympathy after the woman’s death. He said in a statement: 

‘Today’s strong winds can result in dangerous situations and I would urge everyone to heed the warnings by the authorities and take caution when travelling or when out in the open. 

Irish President Michael Higgins gave his condolences and said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the woman’s death

The destroyed caravan lying in the sea at Acton’s beach campsite in Claddaghduff, Ireland

‘I was deeply saddened to learn that storm Ali has already claimed one victim today in Claddagduff, Co Galway. As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences to her family.

‘I would also take this opportunity to pay tribute to all those, in statutory and voluntary organisations around the country, who are helping and stand ready to assist their fellow citizens, and who are working to maintain essential services around the country.’ 

High winds caused by Storm Ali have left around 20,000 homes and businesses in the south-west of Ireland, without power. 

The Swiss tourist in her 50s is the first victim of Storm Ali, which has brought winds of up to 90mph to parts of the UK and Ireland

The power of the storm is clear from the extent of the damage; debris is floating in the sea and the body of the caravan has smashed into several pieces

Meanwhile 55,000 people in Northern Ireland have also lost power.  

This morning forecasters issued a Status Orange warning and cautioned that Storm Ali will bring ‘severe and possibly damaging gusts of up to 130km/h’ to some areas of Ireland.

‘Extreme caution’ is necessary in Clare, Connacht and Donegal. 

Forecaster Liz Walsh told RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland: ‘It’s been quite a stormy start to the day so far.

The police and emergency services arrived at 7.45am on Wednesday morning, but were unable to save the woman

The woman is believed to have been a tourist from Switzerland. Her body was recovered following a search at Acton’s beach and the local coroner has been notified

Grada police issued a warning on Twitter telling motorists to drive carefully after a tree fell on the Kilbeggan to Clara road, injuring one person

‘We issued another warning after a late revision of wind speeds, there could be winds in the coastal district of Dingle right up to Malin Head in excess of 130km/h.

‘The winds will be less severe further inland but they should not be underestimated.’

Drivers are also being warned of fallen trees in Mayo, Longford, Galway, Kerry and Cork.   

The Met Office warned that Storm Ali brings ‘danger to life’ with winds reaching 75mph.  

The Met Office has warned of a ‘danger to life’ as Storm Ali makes itself felt across the UK

The Met Office amber warning applies to most of the north-east of England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, and will remain in place until 6pm on Wednesday.

A separate yellow weather warning has been issued for the rest of Scotland, Yorkshire and northern parts of Wales, where gusts of up to 60mph are expected.

The UK faces potential damage to buildings, travel disruptions including road closures and large waves in coastal areas.

Meteorologist Mark Wilson said even places outside the official weather warnings will see windy and rainy weather. 

He said: ‘Storm Ali is already bringing some pretty heavy rain across Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland and is just starting to creep into north-west England.

The storm is forecast to continue until early next week, when drier weather is expected

‘In terms of wind strength, the speeds are coming up, with a gusts of just over 60mph in the west of Ireland.

‘Around eight, nine and ten o’clock winds will really start ramping up and go further still.’

Ali is the first named storm on the list for 2018/19 announced by the Met Office and Met Eireann, which is compiled from public submissions. 

The practice of naming storms has been shown to help raise awareness and help people prepare before severe weather hits. 

Storm names alternate along a male/female pattern established by the US National Hurricane Center in the 1970s. The next storm will be named Bronagh.

The full list of storm names for 2018/2019 is: Ali, Bronagh, Callum, Deirdre, Erik, Freya, Gareth, Hannah, Idris, Jane, Kevin, Lily, Max, Niamh, Oliver, Peggy, Ross, Saoirse, Tristan, Violet and Wyn. 

The storm is forecast to last until early next week, when drier weather is expected.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk