Barcelos, Portugal, Oct. 9, 2024 (Lusa) - A fallen tree has stopped rail traffic on the Minho Line in the Aborim area, in the municipality of Barcelos, in Portugal's Braga district, a fire brigade source said on Wednesday morning.

According to José Costa, operations officer at the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) the alert went out at 7.10 a.m. and as of 8.50 a.m. the line was still blocked.

Six operatives were mobilised to the scene, supported by two vehicles.

According to Costa, the Cávado region, which includes the municipality of Barcelos, recorded 81 incidents between 6 p.m. on Tuesday and 7 a.m. on Wednesday, mainly related to the effects of the high winds.

In almost all cases, this involved fallen trees, which according to a civil protection source caused damage to some vehicles as well as some cuts to the electricity supply. The source added that there were no personal injuries to report.

Due to the bad weather, ANEPC said, 567 incidents were recorded related to the strong winds between 6 p.m. on Tuesday and 7 a.m. on Wednesday, the vast majority of which were fallen trees.

"Between 6 p.m. yesterday [Tuesday], when the most adverse weather conditions began, and 7 a.m. today we have recorded 567 incidents, mainly related to wind, 404 of which were tree falls, 14 floods, 20 road clearances, 116 structure falls and 13 mass movements," Costa told Lusa.

According to Costa, 1,805 operatives and 627 land resources were involved in these incidents.

"The worst affected areas were the Porto Metropolitan Area, Alto Minho and the Cávado sub-region," he said.

VCP/ARO // ARO.

Lusa