One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France

The Hurricane Kirk swept into western Europe on Wednesday, tearing up trees in Portugal and Spain before dumping heavy rains on France that left at least one dead.

A storm swell in the Mediterranean off the port city of Sete in southern France, killing one amateur sailor and putting another in the hospital in critical condition.

Some 64,000 people in the south of France were also left without power, while several departments reported roads cut off by floodwaters. Authorities put the Seine-et-Marne department near Paris on red alert for flooding as the rain swelled the Grand Morin River, a tributary of the Seine, which runs through the French capital.

Another 29 of the country's departments were placed on orange alert, with heavy rains and high winds expected.