The News
Thursday 28 of March 2024

Strong Gales Batter Northern Europe, Killing One in UK


Women attempt to take a selfie amid strong winds on Westminster Bridge, London,photo: AP/Stefan Rousseau
Women attempt to take a selfie amid strong winds on Westminster Bridge, London,photo: AP/Stefan Rousseau
An Icelandair flight from Reykjavik declared an in-flight fuel emergency after aborted attempts to land at both Manchester and Liverpool airports in northwest England

LONDON – Powerful winds battered parts of northern Europe Thursday, disrupting transportation and killing a woman who was hit by flying debris in central England. In the Netherlands, the landing gear on a small passenger plane collapsed as it landed in heavy winds at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

Britain’s West Midlands Ambulance Service said the woman suffered serious head injuries in Wolverhampton, 140 miles northwest of London.

Rain, snow and strong winds of more than 90 mph  from a weather system dubbed Storm Doris closed U.K. roads, canceled flights and for a time halted train travel to and from Euston Station, one of London’s main terminals.

Heathrow Airport said about one in 10 flights was canceled.

An Icelandair flight from Reykjavik declared an in-flight fuel emergency after aborted attempts to land at both Manchester and Liverpool airports in northwest England. It eventually landed successfully in Manchester.

The Amsterdam flight also landed safely. Nobody was injured in the heavy landing at Schiphol Airport. Video shown on Dutch news sites showed the right landing gear of the twin-prop airplane operated by Flybe collapsing as it touched down.

Schiphol said in a statement that 59 people were on the plane.

Flybe confirmed “an incident” at Schiphol involving flight BE1284 from Edinburgh to Amsterdam.

“We can confirm that there are no injuries and all passengers have been bussed to the airport terminal,” the carrier said in a statement.

The landing came as powerful winds battered the Netherlands, causing traffic chaos and blowing roofs off some buildings but no other major incidents.

The heavy winds in the U.K. were expected to start dying down late Thursday.

Britain’s weather agency, the Met Office, said a top wind speed of 94 mph was recorded at Capel Curig in Wales.

The wind even halted filming of outdoor scenes on Britain’s long-running soap opera “Coronation Street.”