Three men were found dead today, Friday trapped in a car that was swept away by a river in northern Englandwhich, like other parts of the UK, has been hit by Storm Gerrit which caused severe flooding.

Security services have been searching since midday for the vehicle which plunged into the River Esk, near the town of Glaisdale. Shortly after 17.00 (Greece time) firefighters located it in the river. “Unfortunately the three male occupants have died,” North Yorkshire Police said.

Another man who tried to help them was pulled out unharmed and is fine. The authorities warned that the weather conditions in the area “make road traffic dangerous”.

Many areas, particularly in Scotland and the north of England, are being hit by Storm Gerrit from Wednesday, bringing snow, strong winds and rain. Wind gusts of up to 136 kilometers per hour were recorded in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Overnight Wednesday into Thursday, tornadoes damaged around 100 homes near Manchester. No injuries were reported.

Thousands of homes were without power this afternoon in Scotland. Many train and plane routes were cancelled. In addition, many drivers were trapped in their vehicles for hours due to snow or trees that fell on the roadway.

Further south, ferry services between Dover and France were delayed due to strong winds across the English Channel.