Storm Across N. Europe Leaves 17 Dead, Devastation in Wake

A strong storm blasted across northern Europe, killing at least 17 people, injuring dozens more, and leaving thousands Saturday to clean up debris-strewn streets, felled trees and flooded homes.

Packing gale-force winds that toppled trees and construction cranes, the storm swept across Britain on Friday and continued eastward over Denmark, southern Sweden, northern Germany and Poland.

Analysts in several countries called it one of the strongest storms of the century, and damage was estimated in the tens of millions of dollars across the area.

Six people died in Denmark, which was hit hardest. Three of the victims died in separate locations when their cars crashed into fallen trees. At least six people died in Poland, three were killed in Britain and two more in Germany.

Many hospitals were forced to use generators while authorities worked to repair power lines cut by flying branches or felled trees.

An estimated 160,000 homes in Denmark and Sweden were without electricity Saturday, local media reported.

The storm also caused flooding. Dozens in southwestern Danish towns were forced to evacuate as the sea rose more than 16.5 feet above normal level.

And travel was disrupted throughout the region, with streets clogged by tree branches and railway lines lacking power.

An Irish Air Corps helicopter Saturday evacuated 17 people who had been stranded for six days by storms on Tory Island, off the coast of northwestern Ireland.