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Three killed as deadly storm hits Europe

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IANS London

At least three people have been killed -- two in Britain -- as hurricane-force winds blowing at over 200 km an hour hit northern Europe, media reported Friday.

The storm left Germany's Hamburg city at a standstill as its port on Elbe river experienced its biggest tidal surges since the early 1990s, BBC reported. The city's fish market and some streets by the Elbe have also been flooded.

Flooding was also reported in the Netherlands. The Dutch and German authorities have cancelled many flights and train services.

A woman died in Denmark after a lorry was blown over.

In Scotland, a lorry driver was killed Thursday when his vehicle was blown over near Edinburgh. A man was crushed by a falling tree in Nottinghamshire, central England, officials said.

 

The storm, called Xaver, hit northern Europe Thursday, leaving thousands of homes without power. Winds of up to 228 km per hour battered Scotland.

Police in Britain's Norfolk county, where the storm surge destroyed a number of houses, said fire and rescue services were called out to 116 incidents, including nine flood rescues, the Guardian reported.

"In places, water levels were higher than those experienced in the flooding of 1953, when many people lost their lives," deputy chief constable Charlie Hall was quoted as saying.

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First Published: Dec 06 2013 | 6:24 PM IST

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