03 March 2018•Update: 04 March 2018
By Muhammad Mussa
LONDON
The U.K. is set to face another weekend of frigid cold and heavy snow as Storm Emma and the ‘Beast from the East’ collide, threatening to worsen the dire conditions that brought the country to a standstill and has been the cause of ten fatalities.
In the northern regions, the military, R.A.F. personnel and the marines were deployed to assist in clearing snow from motorways, highways and main roads, as well as helping emergency services gain access into areas that were cut off.
Regions in the west of the country such as Wiltshire and Devon were also hit hard by the adverse weather with drivers stuck in their vehicles for more than 15 hours and in one incident, up to 40 people were stuck in a bus.
On the M62 motorway in the Midlands region, up to 3,500 vehicles were stuck, with drivers and passengers sleeping in the icy cold.
On Friday, two people succumbed to their injuries after car accidents in the north. The fatalities add the total number of deaths to 10.
On Thursday, a seven year old girl died after a car crashed into a house in Cornwall and a 75 year old woman was found dead on the streets of Leeds, in the north of England.
More than 1,250 flights between U.K. and Irish airports were cancelled as well as ferry services as ships remained docked in harbours.
The freezing weather has also affected many residential areas with at least 9,000 households experiencing power outages.
Speaking to the Guardian, one passenger was stuck on a train from London to Bournemouth, in south England, for more than 15 hours.
“I didn’t have any food or water, there were no buffet facilities on board, the train lost power and we lost heating and lights” the passenger said.
