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Windstorm kills one, causes massive power outage in Vancouver

Xinhua, March 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

A powerful storm swept through the Canadian city of Vancouver from Wednesday night until Thursday morning, killing one woman and causing flooding, power outages, school closures and travel disruptions.

The woman, in her 50s, was killed in her bed Thursday morning when a tree smashed through the roof of her home in Vancouver's eastern suburb of Port Moody.

Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay said the tree, which was about one meter in diameter at the base, toppled onto the house in the hillside neighborhood during the height of the storm. He also said the city will help her family with the tragedy.

Meanwhile, a number of trees fell on power lines, and meteorologists warned residents of flying branches.

BC Hydro, the major electric company in the province of British Columbia, said that about 110,000 customers in Vancouver and surrounding areas were without power due to the strong wind, which included gusts of up to 100 km/h in some areas.

More than 10,000 customers were also without power on Vancouver Island during the height of the storm.

A dozen schools around Vancouver were closed because of the outages. Endi