A strong storm in the UK left two people dead

Firefighters arrive to check damage from Storm Birkenhead – AFP

At least two people have been killed in the past few hours in the UK by Storm Irwin, which has swept through blizzards and high winds, leaving tens of thousands of people without power.

Britain’s Met Office, which put much of the country on red alert Friday night due to the winds, warned that “strong storms” could continue into Saturday.

The country is currently on an orange or yellow alert, depending on the regions, but weather services are advising people to move only when needed.

Police in Northern Ireland said a man died on Friday when a tree fell on his car. And in northwest England, he lost his last life when a tree fell on him.

In Scotland, many train lines between Edinburgh, Glasgow and other cities were cut off due to strong winds. Several roads remained closed due to debris.

Police said Saturday that about 120 trucks were “trapped by snow” on a motorway in northern England.

Northern electricity company Powergrid estimates that strong winds have left around 55,000 customers without electricity in northern England, particularly in Northumberland.

And the meteorological services asked residents to stay away from the coast because “strong waves endanger their lives”.