THE storm Ciaran that affects today West Europe has caused him death of at least six peopleincluding two in Belgium, and major disruption to transport with ports being closed and flights being cancelled.

Falling trees caused by strong wind gusts are the cause of the fatal accidents: two victims in Ghent, Belgium, a third in central Madrid, a truck driver in France, a 40-year-old in Germany and a sixth dead in the Netherlands.

According to Belgian media citing local police, at least one person died when a tree fell in a park in Ghent due to strong wind gusts caused by Storm Ciaran, and one victim was just five years old, according to with the Belgian news agency Belga.

That falling tree, in a park in the Flemish city, also injured a second person in the leg, a spokesman told AFP.

The Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium had issued an “orange” alert for four provinces near the Flemish coast and a “yellow” alert for the rest of the country.

Storm Ciaran caused major disruption to Belgian railway services, cutting connections to the Flemish coast, while trains were running at reduced speed in the rest of Belgium, according to the national operator.

Marine traffic was also suspended for today in the Antwerp port area due to weather conditions, while flights at Brussels airport were heavily delayed, according to the Belgian press.