Powerful storm hits Baltic countries, killing 2 and leaving hundreds of thousands without power

A powerful cyclone has hit Latvia and Lithuania, leaving two people dead and more than half a million without electricityByCLAUDIA CIOBANU Associated PressWARSAW, Poland -- Two people died and around half a million people were left without electricity across Latvia and Lithuania after a powerful cyclone, bringing rain and strong winds, hit the region on Saturday and into Sunday morning. “This seems to be the most severe storm in Latvia since 2005 in terms of its overall impact,” Andris Viksna, from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, told the AP. One person died in Jelgava, central Latvia, when part of a building collapsed on Saturday, and others were injured across the country. Wind speed exceeded 67 mph on Saturday in the capital, Riga. At many stations, half of the average monthly rainfall was recorded on Saturday. More than a quarter-million people were left without electricity and mobile services were disrupted. Rail and other public transport services were affected by trees and other objects falling on infrastructure. The Riga airport said on Sunday morning that flights could be delayed or rerouted because of the severe storm overnight. One person also di...