A third person has died in Sweden as a powerful winter storm swept across Nordic countries, causing significant travel disruption and power outages.
Sweden's meteorological agency issued alerts for strong winds in many regions as Storm Johannes struck. A man in his 50s lost his life after being struck by a tree at the Kungsberget ski resort. Meanwhile, an employee of utility company Hemab also tragically died while working during the storm in the north.
Another victim, a man in his 60s, sustained injuries after being hit by a tree in a forest near Hofors and later died in the hospital.
The storm has resulted in widespread electrical outages, leaving tens of thousands of homes in Sweden, Norway, and Finland without power. More than 40,000 households were affected in Sweden, and various rail services were canceled as a result of the weather conditions.
In Norway, specifically in the Nordland region, authorities responded to over 200 weather-related incidents, and around 23,000 homes lost power due to the storm. In Finland, dubbed Hannes, the storm caused power outages to over 60,000 homes before it subsided on Sunday morning.
The effects of Storm Johannes also reached Kittila airport in Finland, where winds pushed a passenger jet off the runway without any injuries reported.
Efforts are ongoing to restore power and repair damaged infrastructure as the Nordic countries begin recovery from the storm's impact.
