Three killed as Storm Johannes cuts power to thousands | News World

At least three people have been killed as Storm Johannes rocks Scandinavia.

Forecasters say the storm, which has ripped down trees and cut overhead power lines, is moving south through Sweden.

In Sweden’s central town of Sandviken, a man died after being struck by a falling tree branch.

Further north, regional utility company Hemab said one of its employees died in an accident while out working ‘in the field’.

Police also said a man in his 60s was taken to hospital after being hit by a tree while working in a forest in Hofors, east-central Sweden, and later died of his injuries.

In Jarvso, a person was taken to the hospital after becoming trapped under a sheet metal roof that had blown down.

More than 40,000 homes were left without power and rail services were cancelled.

Flights at Kittila airport in northern Finland were grounded after heavy winds pushed a passenger jet and a smaller plane off the runway and into a bank of snow, the Helsinki Times reported.

The Swiss Air jet, carrying about 150 passengers, had just landed from Geneva and was taxiing when it veered off, the paper said.

The smaller jet, a 400XT model, was on the ground at the same time and was also pushed off course by the wind, it added.

More than 100,000 households across Finland remained without electricity on Sunday.

Rescue departments across western and central Finland responded to thousands of call-outs related to fallen trees, damaged roofs and blocked roads.

In Pirkanmaa alone, emergency crews handled almost 600 storm-related tasks overnight.

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