Two Men Killed by Falling Trees as Storm Boelo Leaves 90,000 Properties Without Power

Two men have been killed by falling trees as Storm Boelo swept across the United Kingdom, bringing powerful winds, flooding and widespread power outages that left approximately 90,000 properties without electricity.

The fatalities occurred on Sunday, October 25, in separate incidents in Scotland and north London, as emergency services responded to dangerous weather conditions across the country.

Police Scotland said a 60-year-old man was struck by a falling tree on a minor road near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway at about 10:30am. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Hours later, a man in his 20s died after a tree fell on the car he was driving on Dollis Road in Finchley, north London. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the incident at approximately 12:40pm.

The storm also injured other people. Two women were taken to hospital after being struck by a falling tree in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, according to Police Scotland.

The Energy Networks Association, which represents electricity network operators, reported that approximately 90,600 customers remained without power at 7pm on Sunday. The figure followed widespread outages caused by Storm Boelo and its predecessor, Storm Austen, which struck southern parts of Britain on Friday.

Across the two storms, approximately 838,700 properties had experienced power cuts, although engineers restored electricity to hundreds of thousands of affected customers.

Restoration work was complicated by continuing strong winds, fallen trees and damaged power lines, with electricity companies warning that hazardous conditions were limiting engineers’ ability to reach some locations safely.

Storm Boelo brought gusts of up to 85mph in parts of Scotland, while the Met Office issued amber wind warnings for Scotland and northern England. Authorities also warned of dangerous waves, flying debris and further flooding.

Scotland experienced particularly severe disruption, with roads blocked by fallen trees, rail services affected by flooding and damage, and ferry crossings cancelled. Flights were also cancelled or diverted at several airports, including Aberdeen, as airlines responded to the dangerous conditions.

Coastal communities suffered flooding as strong winds and large waves battered waterfront areas. In Largs, Ayrshire, floodwaters affected businesses and streets, while a boat was reportedly washed onto a road in Gourock.

The Scottish Government convened an emergency resilience meeting to assess the damage and coordinate the response. Officials warned that travel disruption could continue into Monday, with further unsettled weather possible early in the week.

The Met Office urged people to remain indoors as much as possible during the most dangerous conditions and advised those who needed to travel to check weather warnings and transport updates before setting out.

Storm Boelo followed Storm Austen, which brought severe weather to southern Britain on Friday, marking a period of significant disruption across the country.

Authorities continued restoration and recovery operations as residents and transport operators dealt with the aftermath of the storms.