Storm Darragh batters UK and Ireland, leaving 1 dead and hundreds of thousands without power

LONDON — A man died and hundreds of thousands of people in Britain and Ireland were left without power Saturday as high winds and heavy rain battered the region.

Gusts of up to 93 miles per hour were recorded as officials sent a rare emergency alert by phone to about 3 million households in Wales and southwest England early Saturday.

The official alert, which came with a loud siren-like sound, warned people to stay indoors and was sent to every compatible mobile phone in the areas impacted by Storm Darragh.

In northwest England, a man in his 40s died when a tree fell onto his van while he was driving on a highway near Preston, about 36 miles (58 kilometers) north of Manchester.

On Friday the U.K.'s weather forecasters, the Met Office, issued a red weather warning — the most serious type. Thousands of homes, many in Northern Ireland, Wales and western England, were left without power overnight.

Major highways and bridges across the country were closed because of strong winds, and multiple train services were suspended.

In Ireland, almost 400,000 homes, farms or businesses were without power as a result of the storm. Some flights at Dublin Airport were cancelled.