London, Dec 7 (AP) Hundreds of thousands of people in Britain and Ireland were left without power and millions were warned to stay indoors Saturday as high winds and heavy rain battered the region.

Gusts of up to 93 miles per hour were recorded as officials sent a rare emergency alert by phone to about 3 million households in Wales and southwest England early Saturday.

Also Read | Atrocities on Minorities in Bangladesh: Indian-Americans To Hold Rallies in US Capital and Chicago Against Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh.

The official alert, which came with a loud siren-like sound, warned people to stay indoors and was sent to every compatible mobile phone in the areas impacted by Storm Darragh.

On Friday the UK's weather forecasters, the Met Office, issued a red weather warning — the most serious type. Thousands of homes, many in Northern Ireland, Wales and western England, were left without power overnight.

Also Read | Bangladesh Violence: Temples Set on Fire, Centre Burnt Down in Dhaka, Claims ISKCON (See Pics).

Major highways and bridges across the country were closed because of strong winds, and multiple train services were suspended.

In Ireland, almost 400,000 homes, farms or businesses were without power as a result of the storm. Some flights at Dublin Airport were cancelled. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)