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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Claire Galloway

Woman, 60, killed by falling tree as 36,000 left without power during Storm Malik

A woman has been killed by a falling tree as gale-force winds batter parts of the UK during Storm Malik.

The tragedy, which claimed the life of a 60-year-old woman, happened at around 10.30am today in Aberdeen, police confirmed.

A second life was claimed by the storm on Saturday afternoon when a nine year old boy was crushed to death by a falling tree in Tean, Staffordshire.

The tragic boy and a man were struck by the tree at around 1pm but the youngster later died of his injuries while the man remains in hospital.

A man, 32, also died on the M74 in Scotland after a lorry overturned in the strong gusts.

The Met Office earlier issued an amber alert covering large parts of Scotland as well as Northern England, with gusts of around 70mph forecast in the worst affected areas.

New warnings were issued throughout Saturday as the forecast worsened in Scotland and parts of North East England.

Scots have been warned of flying debris which could cause 'injury or danger to life' as the region was put on amber alert for wind from Sunday evening until Monday morning.

Scotland has been battered by gale-force winds as Storm Malik strikes (Reach plc)

Yellow weather warnings for wind were also issued in the North East and across the Orkney Islands off the coast of northeast Scotland.

The national weather agency said the warnings for strong winds across the UK will last until Monday afternoon, as Storm Corrie moves in just as Storm Malik departs.

The gusts have already claimed two lives and left one man feeling 'very lucky' to be alive after his van was crushed by a falling tree.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Emergency services were called to Deveron Road in Aberdeen around 10.30am on Saturday 29th January to reports of a sudden death of a 60-year-old woman."

A report will now be sent to the Procurator Fiscal, the Daily Record reports.

A police statement said: "There are no suspicious circumstances. A report will now be sent to the Procurator Fiscal."

One man was nearly crushed to death in his van but made an incredible escape (bbc.co.uk)

The gale-force winds in Bradford, West Yorkshire, brought down a tree onto the van of a cyclist who is lucky to be alive.

Richard Nutter had been out on his bike and returned to his van to get changed in the back of the vehicle when it was struck by the falling tree.

Amazingly, despite the van being completely crushed he escaped with just cuts and bruises.

He told the BBC that he was a "very lucky man" but still felt shaken by the ordeal which his terrified friend and fellow cyclist, Lee Warriner, watched first hand.

Describing the moment the tree crashed on top of him, he said: "I was sat in between the two back seats, just crouching down and it pushed me further down.

The van was completely destroyed but he escaped relatively unscathed (bbc.co.uk)
Richard Nutter feels lucky to be alive (bbc.co.uk)

"I lay on the floor and my friend pulled me out the back of the van..

"We're both very fortunate."

This afternoon Northern Powergrid said 36,000 homes are without power in Northumberland and County Durham.

Named by the Danish Meteorological Institute, Storm Malik is expected to bring in gusts reaching up to 80mph in coastal areas, but more widely 60mph, as it tracks eastwards towards Denmark.

Paul Gunderson, chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said: "The impacts of Storm Malik are going to be greatest in Denmark on Sunday, but the track of the storm in the preceding hours means that the UK will be dealt a glancing blow as Malik moves eastwards on Saturday.

"For those in the north of the UK, there will be high winds and rain on Saturday, with showers possibly turning wintry in the high ground in the north.

Forecasters have warned that parts of the UK will be hit by strong winds as Storm Malik strikes (CAMPBELL SKINNER/UNPIXS (EUROPE))
Storm Malik has already swept across UK towns and cities (Stuart Boulton)

"The highest winds are expected in exposed coastal areas in the north and east of Scotland, but it will be a windy day for most."

Further south, the weekend weather will feature some blustery winds and some rain.

The Met Office says road, rail, air and ferry services are likely to be affected, leading to longer journey times and some cancellations.

Some roads and bridges are likely to close too.

Weather warnings have been put in place as Storm Malik strikes (Met Office)
The Met Office has warned that sea spray and debris could be thrown ashore in coastal parts of the UK (CAMPBELL SKINNER/UNPIXS (EUROPE))

There is also a good chance power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage, forecasters say.

Today's amber warning covers central Scotland, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, southwest Scotland and the Lothian Borders.

North East England is also covered, including Newcastle, Northumberland and York.

Tomorrow and Monday the Met Office predicts the strong winds will continue right across the North covering all of Scotland, Northern England and the eastern coast of Ireland.

On Saturday afternoon, new amber weather warnings were issued for all of Scotland reporting dangerously strong winds from 5pm on Sunday until 6am Monday.

The Met Office warned people to expect flying debris, falling trees and killer waves in coastal areas which could throw material onto paths, roads and properties nearby.

Strong winds have even destroyed properties and vehicles in South Shields (Alec Jones/Bav Media)

The warnings do not cover as far south as Stoke on Trent or Nottingham but do stretch across the east towards Norwich.

A yellow weather warning is in place for all of Scotland, much of Northern Ireland and parts of northern England today for wind too.

The latest yellow warnings also warned of strong winds from 12pm - 8pm today on the Orkney Islands.

The Met Office added: "An area of strong winds will cross Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland and some northern counties of England on Saturday morning before easing during the afternoon.

"Gusts of widely 50-60 mph are expected and there is a chance of a brief period of gusts in excess of 70 mph in places, particularly for parts of eastern Scotland later in the morning."

But as one storm departs another will arrive with the next storm set to batter the UK officially revealed as Storm Corrie.

Huge gusts have created treacherous conditions in coastal regions (CAMPBELL SKINNER/UNPIXS (EUROPE))

The Met Office has warned that she could bring even stronger winds of up to 90mph as it hits tomorrow afternoon.

The intense area of low pressure will move eastwards across Scotland on Sunday, continuing across the North Sea in the early hours of Monday.

Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Suri, said: “Storm Corrie will bring very strong winds to the north of the UK, especially northern Scotland, on Sunday.

"This follows just one day after Storm Malik moves though also bringing a spell of very strong winds.

“Storm Corrie will bring gusts of up to 90mph in exposed coastal locations in northern Scotland, with 70-80mph gusts more widely in the north.

"With back-to-back storms, there could be updates to severe weather warnings, so keep an eye on the Met Office forecast.”

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