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Six people rescued after severe flooding in Northern Ireland
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Six people rescued after severe flooding in Northern Ireland

SIX people had to be rescued after severe flooding in parts of Northern Ireland on Saturday.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it rescued five people from flooded properties and one person from a stranded vehicle.

The service responded to 49 incidents, with Derry and Strabane being the worst affected, while police in Derry advised against making all but essential car journeys.

It comes after heavy rainfall, which saw a Status Yellow rain warning issued yesterday by the Met Office, which was in place until 11pm last night.

A further warning was issued this morning for Northern Ireland and Scotland, which comes into effect at midday and will be in place until 9pm.

"Between 7:04pm 23 July and 1:30am 24 July 2022, Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) received a total of 106 emergency 999 flood related calls which resulted in our Firefighters responding to 49 operational incidents," said a NIFRS spokesperson.

"NIFRS rescued 1 person from a vehicle in water and 5 persons trapped within flooded properties.

"NIFRS maintained normal emergency response throughout the evening, attending a range of operational incidents including special service calls and other emergencies."

Today's Met Office weather warning has said to expect more heavy showers and thunderstorms.

It adds that some homes and businesses are likely to be flooded, while there may be some interruption to power supplies and journey times are likely to take longer.