Strong winds cause power outage in Northern Ireland

Emergency crews are fighting high winds to restore electricity to around 5,000 homes and businesses in Northern Ireland, a local power company said on Thursday.

The Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said more than 3,000 customers' power have been restored by its emergency crews, but about 5,000 homes and businesses still need power restoration as strong winds battered parts of Northern Ireland Thursday morning.

In the worst affected eastern region, Counties Down, Antrim, Armagh were taking the brunt of the high wind.

NIE said its local incident centers and emergency crews and engineers have been working since this morning to repair damage and clear trees which have fallen across the electricity network.

The NIE said gusts, with the maximum speed up to 70 miles per hour, have caused some damages to electricity lines, poles and other equipment. As adverse weather will continue in eastern areas, further faults are expected, it added.

Julia Carson, communications manager of the NIE , reminded customers to stay well away from any broken poles or downed lines, and to report any damaged equipment immediately.

Meanwhile, a number of Irish Sea ferry services have been canceled as strong winds and heavy rain, and fallen trees have caused some traffic disruption in parts of Northern Ireland, according to reports from the BBC.

It mentioned two injuries in Belfast. They are two girls who were blown off their feet by the wind in the city center on Thursday morning. One had head injuries, and the other suffered from a wrist injury. They were treated in hospital, and neither of their injuries are serious. Endit