Search continues for man 'trapped in car' in flood as two dead from Storm Babet
A major search has been launched on flooded roads in Scotland after a man was reported trapped in his vehicle during Storm Babet flooding.
Police and a coastguard helicopter are searching an area near Marykirk, next to North Esk river, after the alarm was raised in the early hours of Friday.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "Around 3am on Friday October 20 2023, police received a report of a man within a vehicle trapped in floodwater near Marykirk. Multi-agency searches are ongoing and the public are asked to avoid the area for their safety."
It comes after the storm was confirmed to have claimed two lives so far.
Follow our Storm Babet live blog here.
Flooding in the North East of Scotland, where a search for a man reported trapped in his vehicle is underway (PA)A 56-year-old van driver was killed when a tree smashed into his vehicle near Forfar, Angus, on Thursday night. Also in Angus on the same day, the body of a 57-year-old woman was recovered from a river, where a red weather alert was already in place. A second red warning was issued by the Met Office on Friday as Storm Babet continues to hit many parts of the UK. The 'danger to life' alert will be in place in the North East of Scotland from midnight on Saturday until 11:59pm the next day.
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
The warning reads: "Prolonged and very heavy rain is expected to develop across parts of Angus and Aberdeenshire area throughout Saturday, in areas already affected by severe flooding. Accumulations of 70 to 100 mm are expected over a period of 18 to 24 hours, the highest accumulations over the hills. Less rainfall is expected around coastal areas, but impacts from the higher rainfall further west will extend towards the coast."
Areas under the new warning include Central, Tayside & Fife, Angus, Grampian and Aberdeenshire. Strong winds of up to 60mph have been causing major transport disruption, and the stormy weather looks set to continue into Saturday. Major rail disruption has been caused across the UK, including several routes in north-west England, the Midlands and north Wales closed due to flooding.
Flood warnings are also in place at several locations across the country. A month's worth of rain fell in just a few hours in some parts of Scotland, and residents of the town of Brechin in Scottish county of Angus have been ordered to evacuate over 'significant danger to life' from flooding.
Some people affected by the floods in Brechin may not be back in their homes by Christmas, one local councillor has warned. Gavin Nicol said the town's flood barriers are 3.8m high but the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has warned the water could reach 5m. He said: "With the amount of rain we're getting it might even supersede that. It's just a disaster. The water is not going down, it is still rising."
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