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In pictures: Storms Elsa and Fabien wreak pre-Christmas havoc across Europe

The death toll from two severe storms that have battered Spain, Portugal and France rose to nine on Sunday as the region readies for more winds and heavy rain.

Storms Elsa and Fabien’s combined force flooded rivers, uprooted trees and disrupted rail and air travel, leaving more than 118,000 households without electricity.

The death of a fisherman in Catalonia who was swept away by strong waves in the Mediterranean brought the number killed up to nine since Storm Elsa whipped across the continent from Wednesday to Friday.

Seven of the deaths have been in Spain, the worst affected country, and two in Portugal.

The deaths in Spain include a South Korean woman killed by debris falling from a building in Madrid and a Dutch man who drowned windsurfing in rough weather off the Andalusian coast.

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Storm Elsa leaves cars in Ireland swimming through flooded streets

Storm Fabien batters south-western France with large waves

Storm Elsa batters parts of Europe, five dead

As Storm Elsa moved across Britain, Fabien moved in from off the Atlantic into Portugal, Spain and France, bringing winds of up to 100mph that caused more than 118,000 power outages, local media reported.

The Catalonia emergency telephone service received 1,118 calls due to the wind, for fallen trees and damage to homes, regional authorities said.

Meanwhile, a mini-tornado struck a small village of 547 inhabitants in southern France, destroying 20 homes and displacing 80 people.

Residents said it lasted for roughly 20 minutes.

Meanwhile Venice faces intense floods while it battles to recover from the exceptional high tide that hit it in November, causing massive damages to the city.

Images show tourists wading through water in the Italian city's famous St Mark's Square after an “exceptional” 4ft 9ins peak tide on Monday morning.