Deaths & blackouts: Storm Goretti, howling gales hit UK, France; rail services affected
Storm Goretti's record winds killed a man in southwest England after a tree fell on his caravan. Tens of thousands of homes across the UK and nearly 100,000 in France experienced power outages. Severe weather also caused transport disruptions and school closures across Europe, with at least 15 weather-related deaths reported this week.
A man was killed in southwest England after a tree fell on a caravan during record winds brought by Storm Goretti, as large parts of Europe continued to face power outages and transport disruptions caused by severe weather.The man, believed to be in his 50s, was found dead in the town of Helston in Cornwall on Friday, police said. “Tragically, a man aged in his 50s was located deceased within the caravan,” Devon and Cornwall police said in a statement, AFP reported.
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Storm Goretti swept through southwestern Cornwall and parts of Wales overnight from Thursday to Friday, with wind gusts reaching up to 160 kmph, according to UK authorities.
The high winds downed trees and damaged power infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands of homes without electricity.
The UK’s met office said most of the country remained under weather warnings for snow and ice on Saturday, cautioning that black ice could cause “disruption” in Scotland and northern England. Heavy snowfall earlier in the week led to the closure of around 250 schools in Scotland during much of the first week after the Christmas break.
Around 28,000 homes were still without power across southwestern England and the Midlands at the start of the weekend, national grid said.The storm system also affected parts of northern Europe. Nearly 100,000 homes in France were without electricity on Saturday morning, officials said.In Germany, long-distance rail services began to resume on Saturday after being completely suspended a day earlier due to another storm, Elli, according to rail operator Deutsche Bahn.
Disruptions persisted in the northern port city of Hamburg, where heavy snowfall had compounded the impact. Several routes, including those linking Hamburg to Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Hanover, remained suspended, while services to Berlin and the Ruhr region were expected to be gradually restored.Across Europe, at least 15 people have died in weather-related incidents this week as storms, strong winds and freezing temperatures disrupted travel, shut schools and cut power to hundreds of thousands.