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Oct 16, 2017

Remnants of Hurricane Ophelia kill 3 in Ireland

Alayna Treene

The sky turns orange and yellow in Brittany Monday, Oct.16, 2017 in Chasne-sur-Illet, western France. Photo: David Vincent / AP

The remnants of Hurricane Ophelia slammed into Ireland's west coast Monday afternoon, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall to the region. So far three people have been reported dead as a result of the storm, per BBC.

Red alert: Met Éireann, Ireland's National Meteorological Service, put the entire country on red alert Sunday evening, warning that there was a "danger to life and property" due to the storm's "violent and destructive" winds. The alert will remain in place until Tuesday at 1 a.m. BST.

The latest:

  • About 360,000 homes and businesses in the Irish Republic, 1,800 in Northern Ireland, and 4,000 homes in Wales are without power, per the Belfast Telegraph.
  • The Irish government has deployed the army to aid emergency responses in coastal counties. Irish bus and tram services have been suspended, per the BBC.
  • "Violent and destructive" wind gusts of 109 miles per hour were recorded at Fastnet Rock, off the coast of Cork, according to Met Éireann.
  • In several areas throughout the U.K., skies have turned orange and yellow as a result of the storm pulling in tropical air and dust from the Sahara. Hundreds of photos of the "red sun" were shared on social media.
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