Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Rory Cassidy & Paula Murray & Tom Martin & Anna Savva

Storm Malik claims lives of two tragic Scots as it wreaks havoc across the country

Two tragic Scots were killed by Storm Malik today as ferocious winds battered the country.

A 60-year-old woman passed away after being hit by a falling tree in Aberdeen.

And a 32-year-old lorry driver died after his vehicle is believed to have overturned on the motorway due to a strong gust of wind.

A third victim of the storm, a nine-year-old boy, also passed away after being struck by a tree in England.

The woman was struck by the uprooted tree in the Granite City at around 10.30am.

Emergency services were called to the M74 motorway, near Lanark, shortly before 8am amid reports of a serious accident.

The driver crashed through the central barrier into oncoming traffic on the M74, as winds of more than 100mph raged in parts of the country.

Police Scotland said he was pronounced dead at the scene, and it's thought his lorry was overturned by a strong gust of wind.

Tens of thousands of households were without power, with air, rail and road traffic all affected.

In Dalkeith, Midlothian, three vehicles were crushed after a wall collapsed in a car park.

Fallen trees and debris shut down roads and railways, with nearly 200 trains cancelled and almost all of CalMac's ferry routes affected among numerous cancellations.

A small number of flights were also called off.

Fallen trees and debris shut down roads and railways, with nearly 200 trains cancelled.

Almost all of CalMac's ferry routes were affected among numerous cancellations, while a small number of flights were called off.

STV weatherman Sean Batty 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 from the record of 173mph recorded back in 1986."

Engineers battled to restore power to around 65,000 homes from Aberdeenshire to the Borders, with thousands more cut off south of the Border.

And forecasters warned of a second battering as Storm Corrie is expected to land tomorrow with feared 90mph gusts.

The Met Office said the full blast of the weather front would be felt in exploded, coastal locations and mountainous areas with inland gusts of up to 70mph.

It confirmed a yellow severe weather warning for wind is in force until noon tomorrow.

Chief meteorologist 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 through 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 to 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."

As the second storm of the weekend clears to the east, weather will remain blustery with occasional spells of rain.

However, it will feel mild with temperatures are expected to climb to double figures by Tuesday.

ScotRail urged people to check before travel after 192 trains were cancelled, while Network Rail announced they were dealing with fallen trees, debris and fire on some of their lines.

Liam Sumpter, Network Rail's route director for Scotland, said: "We have teams in place across the country ready to react quickly to cut back trees and repair any damage caused by the weather.

"We will reopen the affected lines as quickly as we can for our customers, but are urging passengers to check their journey before travelling."

Police said the A96, A95, A90 and A93 were among the roads in Aberdeenshire and Moray closed due to fallen trees and other debris.

The Tay Road Bridge has also been closed, with traffic diverted through Perth, while the Queensferry Crossing was closed to high-sided vehicles.

Two Premiership football games were postponed, with matches between Aberdeen and St Johnstone and Dundee and St Mirren called off due to safety concerns around the stadiums.

A statement on Aberdeen FC's website read: "Today's match against St Johnstone has been postponed due to Storm Malik and safety concerns around the stadium.

"We have been working closely with emergency services and the SPFL throughout the morning, closely monitoring the situation in the hope that conditions might improve to allow the game to be staged, but ultimately the safety of supporters, players and staff is our paramount concern and we would ask everyone to continue to adhere to the guidance being given by Police Scotland."

The Premiership confirmed Dundee's game at Dens Park was off due to high winds.

The Championship game between Arbroath and Partick Thistle was also cancelled with no new dates set for the games.

The disruption came just days after the Scottish Government reviewed failings over the response to Storm Arwen which hit the country in November.

It caused at least three fatalities and left a million homes without electricity in the UK, some for more than a week.

Analysis of the preparation and response to the storm set out 15 recommendations in six areas, including improving how those most at risk are found and helped, better use of volunteers and community support, and more accurate communication by energy companies.

Storm Arwen hit the UK on November 26, with winds of 100mph uprooting trees, damaging power lines and leaving more than 200,000 homes without electricity.

Some went as long as 10 days without power.

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.