Four people have been killed after a major storm battered Britain with high winds and heavy rain, leaving 600,000 homes without power and causing transport chaos.
A 17-year-old girl named as Bethany Freeman and an unnamed man in his 50s in Watford were killed by falling trees in Kent and Watford respectively, while police this afternoon confirmed that the bodies of an elderly man and woman had been found in a west London house following a gas explosion also caused by a falling tree.
The blast occurred in Hounslow earlier this morning after a falling tree destroyed three houses and landed on a gas main. Witnesses say debris was scattered over 50 metres around the blast site, with local fire station manager Matt Burrows describing the usually leafy, suburban street as a “scene of devastation”. The bodies of an unnamed elderly couple were found among the rubble following an extensive search earlier this afternoon, The Independent informs.
Meanwhile in Edenbridge, 17-year-old Bethany Freeman suffered fatal injuries when a tree fell onto the static home in which she was sleeping.
Chief Superintendent Steve Corbishly from Kent Police said: “She was in a static home adjoining the house she lives in with her family. Tragically, she did die at the scene. It’s not being treated as suspicious but we’re working with Fire and Rescue to determine the exact cause.”
