Storm Kills Two in Sweden

Two people have died in Sweden after a storm battered Norway, Sweden, and Finland, leaving thousands without power.

This was made known by the authorities on Saturday.

One fatality, a man in his 50s, was reported near the Kungsberget ski resort in central Sweden.

Mats Lann of Gavleborg police told AFP that a falling tree had hit the man.  He was taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries.

Further north, regional utility Hemab said that one of its employees had died in an accident “in the field.”

Broadcaster SVT reported that the worker had also been caught under a falling tree.

Finnish public broadcaster Yle stated that over 120,000 homes in Finland were without power, with the western part of the country being hit the worst.

Traffic at the Kittila airport in northern Finland was halted after heavy winds pushed a passenger plane and a smaller plane off the runway and into a bank of snow, Finnish media reported.  There were no injuries recorded.

Swedish news agency TT also reported that over 40,000 Swedish homes were left without electricity.

The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute has issued alerts for strong winds for large parts of the northern half of the country as Storm Johannes hits the country.