Paris, France (CNN) — A winter storm named “Xynthia” battered the western coast of Europe Sunday, its high winds downing trees and power lines and leaving as many as 55 people dead, authorities said.
Hardest hit was France, where at least 45 people were killed, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon announced.
The extra-tropical cyclone whipped the country’s coastal regions and moved inland, bringing sometimes heavy flooding with it.