3 dead as Storm Johannes batters the Nordics, leaving thousands without power

STOCKHOLM - The death toll in Sweden rose to three after a storm battered Scandinavia on Dec 27 and overnight, with thousands still without power on Dec 28.

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 the country and western parts of Finland.

A man in his 60s who had been working in the forest was hit by a falling tree on Dec 27 in Hofors in Sweden, police said on Dec 28.

He later died of his injuries in the hospital.

The fatality adds to the two reported on Dec 27.

One fatality, a man in his 50s, was reported near the Kungsberget ski resort in central Sweden.

The man was hit by a falling tree, Mr Mats Lann of Gavleborg police told AFP. He was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries.

Farther north, regional utility firm Hemab said one of its employees had died in an accident “in the field”.

Broadcaster SVT reported that the worker had also been caught under a falling tree.

Strong gusts toppled trees, disrupted traffic and caused large power outages in Sweden and Finland.

In Finland, more than 85,000 homes were still without power around 12am local time on Dec 28, after a peak of over 180,000.

Energy companies warned the reparation work might take several days.

In Sweden, news agency TT reported that over 40,000 Swedish homes were left without electricity in the morning of Dec 28.

Traffic at the Kittila airport in northern Finland was halted after heavy winds pushed a passenger plane and a smaller plane off the runway and into a bank of snow, Finnish media reported. There were no injuries. AFP