UK Storm Goretti Death Toll Rises as Europe Grapples with Power Outages

A man has lost his life in England after a falling tree brought down by Storm Goretti's record winds, bringing the European death toll to at least 15 in weather-related incidents this week. The storm, which hit southwestern Cornwall and parts of Wales overnight Thursday to Friday, left tens of thousands of homes without power and caused travel chaos across the continent. In the UK, a tree fell onto a caravan in the town of Helston, Cornwall, claiming the life of a man. Some 250 schools in Scotland were closed due to heavy snowfall and the subsequent storm, while around 28,000 homes in southwestern England and the Midlands remained without power on Saturday. Meanwhile, Storm Goretti also affected northern Europe, with France seeing a peak of 380,000 homes without power before the number dwindled to just under 40,000 by 6:00 pm local time. In northern Germany, long-distance rail traffic resumed on Saturday, although some services remained suspended, particularly those linking Hamburg to major cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Hanover. As the UK remains under a weather warning for snow and ice, the Met Office has cautioned that black ice could cause disruption in Scotland and northern England. The National Grid and Deutsche Bahn are working to restore power and rail services, respectively, in the affected areas.