Northern Ireland

Storm Ali updates: Man killed by falling tree in country park while woman dies when caravan swept away in Co Galway

 A man has been killed by a falling tree in south Armagh as Storm Ali continues to batter many parts of Ireland
 A man has been killed by a falling tree in south Armagh as Storm Ali continues to batter many parts of Ireland  A man has been killed by a falling tree in south Armagh as Storm Ali continues to batter many parts of Ireland
By Digital Staff
An oil delivery driver had a lucky escape when a large tree fell on his truck in Osborne Park in south Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
An oil delivery driver had a lucky escape when a large tree fell on his truck in Osborne Park in south Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann An oil delivery driver had a lucky escape when a large tree fell on his truck in Osborne Park in south Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

A MAN has been killed by a falling tree as Storm Ali continues to batter many parts of Ireland.

It is understood the man was a contractor working for NI Water in Slieve Gullion Forest Park close to the village of Meigh.

A second man, aged in his forties, has been taken to hospital following the accident which happened as Storm Ali battered Ireland.

Storm Ali has now claimed two lives on the island of Ireland. A woman in her fifties died when a caravan was swept off a cliff in Co Galway this morning.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Electricity Networks says 55,000 customers remain without power.

The company warned it is facing "extremely challenging" conditions and said supply had already been restored to 36,000 customers since the storm began.

By 5pm more than 170,000 customers across the island were still without power.

Amber alerts were issued for high winds and heavy showers with widespread power cuts being reported and roads closed due to fallen debris. The alert is expected to be downgraded to yellow this evening.

The Met Office said gusts of 91mph hit Killowen in County Down.

Met Eireann said the strongest gusts in the hour leading up to 10am reached speeds of 120km/h (74.5mph) at Mace Head in County Galway, 98km/h (60.9mph) at Dublin Airport and 107km/h (66.5mph) at Shannon.

Emergency numbers

NIE: 03457 643643

NI Water: 0345 7440 088

Floodline: 0300 2000 100

Housing Executive: 0344 8920 901

Roads service: 02837 529500

Gas emergency: 0800 002 001

Power cuts

NIE have been posting updates via social media:

A map on their website shows power outages across the north:

Storm Ali has caused power cuts across the north as this map from NIE shows 
Storm Ali has caused power cuts across the north as this map from NIE shows  Storm Ali has caused power cuts across the north as this map from NIE shows 

At 12.45pm, ESB Networks said 186,000 customers across the Republic are without power. They said crews across the country are in the process of responding to electricity outages, once it is safe to do so.

Roads closed

In all 60 roads were closed across the north as Storm Ali brings down trees, some of the routes are now passable. In south Belfast an oil delivery driver had a lucky escape when a tree fell on his cab. 

Motorists and pedestrians have been asked to avoid the Glenmachan Road, Belfast due to a fallen tree and electrical cables.

Police closed the M1 motorway between Belfast and Lisburn this morning due to fallen cables. The route has since reopened.

Saintfield Road is closed at the junction of the old Ballynahinch Road due to a fallen tree.

Foyle Bridge in Derry which was closed this morning to due to the adverse weather conditions has reopened with a speed limit of 30mph imposed.

The A4, Enniskillen is closed between Tamlaght and Killyhevlin Hotel due to a fallen tree.  Diversions are in place.

Public services

The train line between Derry and Belfast was closed for a time but as of 4.30pm has reopened. Translink has warned of delays and disrutpions "for a time". There are some cancellations on the Larne line while the Bangor to Belfast line and Belfast to Ballymena lines have reopened.

A Translink spokesperson said: “As a result of Storm Ali, NI Railways will be implementing a blanket speed restriction on all lines from 9.30am this morning until further notice.

“We continue to liaise with the Met Office and other agencies and will keep these restrictions under review.

“This will lead to some delays to train services.

Three cars in Townsend Street damaged after a tree fell on them during Storm Ali. Picture by Mal McCann 
Three cars in Townsend Street damaged after a tree fell on them during Storm Ali. Picture by Mal McCann  Three cars in Townsend Street damaged after a tree fell on them during Storm Ali. Picture by Mal McCann 

“We have staff on stand-by to remove fallen trees, branches and other debris from railway lines.

“Meanwhile, our bus operations teams will continue to monitor road conditions and will review routes accordingly.”

Drivers have been warned to exercise extreme caution as the adverse weather conditions persist. 

Belfast City Council has closed all parks and open spaces today due to the bad weather. 

Train services which were suspended between Belfast and Bangor due to a fallen tree are now operating as normal.

Air travel

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Tonight's Co Antrim Shield match between Ballymena United and H&W Welders has been postponed.