Storm Kills at Least 11 People in Europe

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, October 28, 2002

Storm Kills at Least 11 People in Europe

Powerful winds lashed Britain and northwestern Europe Sunday, killing at least 11 people -- many crushed by falling trees, and causing major travel disruptions and serious damage to buildings.

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Powerful winds lashed Britain and northwestern Europe Sunday, killing at least 11 people-- many crushed by falling trees, and causing major travel disruptions and serious damage to buildings.

Falling trees killed six people in Britain, where winds gusted above 90 mph. Two died in the Netherlands and a third person was blown into the sea and believed drowned.

The winds pushed a 13-year-old roller skater into a truck in Belgium and a falling tree killed a woman walking through a forest in northwestern Switzerland. A Dutch woman died in Germany when a tree fell on her family's car.

The gales uprooted trees, ripped off roofs and played havoc with rail, air, sea and road travel.

Britain's Meteorological Office said severe gales of up to 80 mph slammed England and Wales. A gust of 96.6 mph was recorded at Mumbles in south Wales.

Fire and ambulance officials said the six people killed in Britain included three children.

Thousands of people across England and Wales were without power and police said there were many reports of damaged buildings.

Gusts reached 81 mph in the Netherlands, disrupting train and highway traffic and causing major delays at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Police said a man walking his dog in the eastern town of Enschede was killed by a falling tree, and a 77-year-old man lost his footing and died when he fell into a fence in the town of Hilversum.

The presumed drowning occurred off the shore of Scheveningen, a suburb of The Hague. No details were immediately available.

Another dog walker was seriously injured in an Enschede park, and dozens more people were hit by flying tree branches and roof tiles in the city of Utrecht, police and Dutch television reported.

The Belgian government urged people to stay inside. A 13-year old roller skating on the embankment in the seaside resort of Wenduine was killed when the high winds slammed him into a truck.

In Germany, winds reached 62 mph, and stronger gusts were forecast. A 39-year-old Dutch woman was killed in the German town of Bocholt, close to the border with the Netherlands, when a tree fell on her family's car. Her six-year-old daughter was seriously injured and two other children slightly injured.

Source: Agencies

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