Motorist killed by falling tree as weather batters the country

The gale-force winds which buffeted the country over the last 24 hours claimed the life of a young woman in Westmeath after a tree blew over and struck her car.

The 23-year-old, who was the sole occupant of the car, was trapped after the vehicle was hit by the falling tree on the Ballymahon Rd outside Mullingar just after 4pm yesterday.

She was rushed to the Midland Regional Hospital at Mullingar where gardaí said she was pronounced dead from her injuries approximately 90 minutes later.