Three killed in Sweden as major storm sweeps Nordic countries

A third person has died in Sweden after a powerful winter storm swept across Nordic countries, causing travel disruption and power outages.

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

One man in his 50s died after being struck by a tree in the Kungsberget ski resort in the country’s south, local media and police reported; while further north, regional utility company Hemab said that one of its employees died in an accident while out working.

Police also said a man in his 60s was taken to hospital after being hit by a tree while working in a forest in Hofors, east-central Sweden, and later died of his injuries.

Tens of thousands of homes in Sweden, Norway and Finland have been left without power as a result of the storm.

In Sweden, more than 40,000 homes were affected by power outages and numerous rail services were cancelled, Swedish news agency TT reported.

Several flights, rail and ferry services across parts of the Nordic nations have been cancelled.

Roads and rail services have also been disrupted due to the storm conditions.

In Norway’s Nordland region, one of the most northerly counties in the country, the fire department responded to more than 200 weather?related incidents, broadcaster NRK reported.

Storm Johannes cut power to around 23,000 homes in Nordland and a further 9,000 were without electricity in the Inland region, NRK said.

In Finland, the storm, known there as Hannes, subsided on Sunday morning but had left more than 60,000 homes without power, according to public broadcaster Yle.

Flights at Kittila airport in northern Finland were grounded after heavy winds pushed a passenger jet and a smaller plane off the runway and into a bank of snow, the Helsinki Times reported.

The Swiss Air jet, carrying about 150 passengers, had just landed from Geneva and was taxiing when it veered off, the paper said. The smaller jet, a 400XT model, was on the ground at the same time and was also pushed off course by the wind, it added.

There have been no reported injuries.