A man watches stormy seas in strong winds as waves crash on the harbour wall at Brighton marina in south east England October 28, 2013. REUTERS-Luke MacGregor
Waves crash against a lighthouse during storms that battered Britain and where a 14-year-old boy was swept away to sea, at Newhaven in South East England October 28, 2013. REUTERS-Luke MacGregor
A tree that fell on and killed a woman along a street, lies on a car next to the Herengracht canal in Amsterdam October 28, 2013. REUTERS-Cris Toala Olivares
Emergency services work at the scene of a fallen tree at Bath Road in Hounslow, west London October 28, 2013. REUTERS-Toby Melville
A lone commuter walks past the notice board at London Bridge Station showing all trains cancelled during rush hour in London October 28, 2013. REUTERS-Dylan Martinez
A lone commuter walks past the notice board at London Bridge Station showing all trains cancelled during rush hour in London October 28, 2013. REUTERS-Dylan Martinez
By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Anthony Deutsch
LONDON/AMSTERDAM |
(Reuters) - Hurricane strength winds battered northern Europe on Monday, killing more than a dozen people, cutting power and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and train journeys.
At least seven people died in Germany while there were four deaths in Britain and fatalities in the Netherlands, Denmark and France as the storm brought down trees, blew roofs off houses and turned over trucks, causing chaos across much of the region.
In Germany, falling trees killed several drivers, at least one man drowned and a 66-year-old woman died when a wall collapsed on her, German media reported.
The storm had barrelled in overnight, with gusts of up to 99 mph (160 kph), leaving a trail of damage across parts of southern Britain, before heading eastwards into mainland Europe.
A 17-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell onto her home while she slept in Kent, southeast of London, while a man in his 50s was killed when a tree crushed his car in the town of Watford, just north of the capital.
A man and a woman were found dead in west London after several houses were damaged in a suspected gas explosion on a street where the storm blew a tree down. London police said the tree may have damaged gas pipes, causing the explosion.
A crane smashed into the Cabinet Office, a ministry in the heart of London, forcing Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to cancel a news conference.
Thin volumes on London's financial markets suggested many traders had been stuck at home, along with millions of commuters who would normally head into London but were thwarted by train and Tube lines being shut by toppled trees and power failures.
London's Heathrow airport said 130 flights were cancelled.
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