Cyclist killed by falling tree as Storm Boelo hits Amsterdam

A cyclist was killed when a tree fell on them in Amsterdam on Sunday as Storm Boelo swept across the Netherlands, Dutch broadcaster NU.nl reported. A surfer was also reported missing.

The Amsterdam fire brigade was called out repeatedly to deal with fallen trees as a code yellow warning for strong gusts was in force until 2am, according to Het Parool. RTL Nieuws reported trees down on railway lines and widespread storm damage across the country.

At Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest, the storm forced the cancellation of about 90 flights on Sunday, the news agency AFP reported, mostly to and from European cities including Paris, Rome and Dublin. Dozens of arriving flights were also cancelled or delayed. "Because of strong winds, fewer flights are expected to take off and land on Sunday 25 October," the airport said, without giving an exact number of affected flights.

The storm also caused damage further afield. More than 82,000 households in northern Britain lost power, the industry body Energy Networks Association said, while fallen trees, downed power lines and damaged ground disrupted road and rail travel in Scotland. The Met Office recorded gusts of up to 135 km/h in Argyll and Bute, and a yellow rain warning was in force for Scotland and northern England, with up to 80 litres of rain per square metre expected in places. The Met Office warned that flying debris and high waves made the storm dangerous to life, and urged people to stay indoors where possible.

Northern Ireland also lost power to about 7,000 households, a network operator said. In Belfast, ferry crossings to north-west England and some flights from the city's two airports were cancelled because of the weather.