At least 9 killed as storm batters Europe; UK issues first ever 'red' alert

The mainland Europe has been battered by a savage Atlantic storm that has so far claimed the lives of at least nine people, causing widespread disruption and bringing chaos to millions.

With record winds of up to 122 miles per hour, Storm Eunice hit western England on Friday and knocked out power for tens of thousands of people after making landfall in Cornwall.

Britain's Meteorological Office said the devastating storm, which brewed in the central Atlantic and was spun up from the Azores towards Europe by the jet stream, posed a danger to life.

Media reports said a woman was killed in London when a car in which she was traveling was crushed by a tree and a man in a vehicle in Liverpool died due to flying debris. Another man died after a vehicle collided with a fallen tree in the southern English county of Hampshire.

Storm Eunice shredded the white domed roof of the O2 arena in London and tall buildings in the British capital trembled as wind whistled through Canary Wharf.

Huge waves crashed over Aberystwyth promenade in Wales, where more than 100,000 people were hit by power cuts as lines were torn down and ancient trees keeled over. Storm Eunice also killed a man in Ireland after he was struck by a falling tree.

The UK's Met Office said a gust of 122 miles per hour was recorded at The Needles on the Isle of Wight, provisionally a record for the most powerful gust ever recorded in England.

Later on Friday, the Met Office said the fiercest winds from the storm were heading towards Scandinavia and northern mainland Europe where warnings had been issued.

"Storm Eunice is really packing a punch," Met Office Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders said. "We only issue red weather warnings when we think there is a threat to life from the weather."

Planes were buffeted so strongly by the storm at some British airports that pilots were forced to abandon landings, with a total of 436 flights having been cancelled across the United Kingdom amid record winds from the Atlantic storm.

Damian Hinds, Britain's security minister, said troops were on standby to deal with the consequences of the weather.

In the Netherlands, four people lost their lives due to toppled trees and 390 flights were called off. In Belgium, high winds brought a crane down onto the roof of a hospital and a man died after being blown from his boat into the water. In Denmark, trains were ordered to reduce speed and bridges and roads have been closed in preparation for record winds.

The storm was named Zeynep by meteorologists in Germany and is expected to reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour and to last into the early hours of Saturday morning.

The German meteorological service (DWD) declared a level three storm warning for the whole country, calling the storms “life threatening” due mainly to flying objects such as falling trees.

The DWD urged people to close doors and windows and to secure all movable objects including garden furniture, bikes and portable bins.

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