Two killed as Storm Malik fells trees and rips off roofs
A NINE-year-old boy and a woman aged 60 were killed by falling trees yesterday as Storm Malik wrought destruction across the UK.
Winds of more than 100mph battered Scotland, as well as parts of northern England and Northern Ireland.
Staffordshire Police said the boy died and a man was taken to hospital when a tree fell on them in Winnothdale, Staffs, at around 1pm.
The woman died after being hit by a falling tree in Aberdeen.
The storm inflicted widespread damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure and brought down power supplies.
A major incident was declared in County Durham after large areas of the region were left without energy. Roofs were blown off and cars damaged by falling bricks in Gateshead, South Shields and Huddersfield, among other places.
Yesterday morning, Sean Batty a meteorologist for the Scottish broadcaster STV, tweeted: “Had an extreme gust of 147mph recorded on the Cairngorm summit an hour ago. This is an incredible strength, but still a way off the record of 173mph recorded in 1986.”
Train services were also affected by the high winds as felled trees blocked lines on routes to cities such as Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow.
More very strong winds are expected as a second low pressure system moves across northern areas today. Storm Corrie, which Nicole Sturgeon, Scotland’s First Minister, has said “may be more severe” than first anticipated in northern parts of the country could also bring snow to parts of Scotland.