Man dies in road crash during Storm Isha in Northern Ireland

Police at scene of crash in Limavady. Pic UTV
Police at the scene of the crash in Limavady. Credit: UTV

A man in his 60s has died in a road collision involving two vans and a fallen tree in Limavady, Co Londonderry, on Sunday night during Storm Isha, the PSNI has confirmed.

It happened on the Broad Road in Limavady just before 10pm on Sunday.

He was the driver of a Vauxhall Vivaro van which was involved in a collision with a fallen tree and another vehicle. The male driver of the other van involved, a Citreon Berlingo, has been taken to hospital for treatment. The road was closed for a time but has now reopened.

Four people have died in the storm. One in Scotland and another two in the Republic.

The storm caused severe damage and disruption across Northern Ireland with several roads impassable due to fallen trees and debris.

The PSNI said between 3.30pm on Sunday and 2am on Monday, officers dealt with over 1,300 calls from the public, approximately 600 of these related to the storm.

Meanwhile the NI Fire and Rescue Service said it received 239 emergency calls and fire crews were sent to 96 incidents, including fallen trees and electrical polls, road traffic collisions, flooding and chimney fires.

Some of the disruption from across Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of homes remain without power following "widespread damage" to the electricity network.

NIE says repair work is ongoing but warned it is "likely that this will be a multi-day event".

A spokesperson added: “The restoration has been challenging, the weather conditions last night along with the blocked access routes from fallen trees and debris have meant at times that our teams have been hampered in their efforts.

"We’re continuing to prioritise calls and work as quickly as we can but the scale of the effort is something not seen in the last decade so we do anticipate a multi-day event before we would have everyone restored.

“If customers should experience a power cut they can report the fault online at www.nienetworks.co.uk or call the NIE Networks Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643. Customers can also follow us on social media for regular updates.

“We are particularly keen to remind the public to maintain safety around any damaged electricity equipment and never approach a broken pole or overhead power line.”

A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind remains in place across Northern Ireland on Monday with further warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday as Storm Jocelyn follows.

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