Seven dead after Storm Ciaran brings gale-force winds to west Europe

The powerful storm Ciaran hit the north-west of France and the south-west of England overnight before moving on to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany on Thursday, leaving at least seven people dead and several injured, authorities said. Ciaran caused one fatality in the Netherlands when a tree in the south-eastern town of Venray near the German border fell on a person, the police said on Thursday. Falling trees injured people in several other places, including a woman in The Hague, the police said. Cyclists were also hit by falling branches and trees. In France, two people were killed and 15…