(London) Five people died in the United Kingdom in the passage of the storm Babett which led to significant flooding, and the country remains under threat of further heavy rains in the coming days, authorities warned on Monday.
A fifth body, that of a man trapped in a vehicle, was found in the Aberdeen region of Scotland, one of the hardest hit by the storm that hit the United Kingdom and part of the country last week. Scandinavia, Scottish police said on Monday.
This is the third recorded victim in Scotland, while two other people have been found dead in England.
Thousands of people have seen their homes flooded across the country, and several hundred remain homeless.
If the storm has now passed, the Environment Agency indicated on Monday that it had still issued more than 100 flood alerts, notably in England in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire (North), “where certain rivers have exceeded their previous highest levels recorded in 2007”.
“More rain is expected […] which will fall on saturated soils, meaning there is always a risk […] possible new significant floods” until Wednesday, said Sarah Cook, head of flood management at the agency, quoted in a press release.
The Minister for the Environment, Therese Coffey, traveling to Retford in Nottinghamshire, estimated on the Sky News channel that some people would have to wait “several months” before being able to find their accommodation.