Two ships collide in North Sea as storms lash Europe
Rescue helicopters evacuate 18 crew members from vessel as Storm Corrie lashes northern Europe
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rescue helicopters evacuated all 18 crew members from a ship left drifting rudderless off the Dutch North Sea coast after it collided with another ship during Storm Corrie.
The collision happened as the powerful storm lashed parts of northern Europe.
It came after Storm Malik killed at least four people over the weekend, destroying houses, unleashing flooding and leaving thousands of households without electricity.
A freighter named the Julietta D collided with another boat about 20 miles west of the port of Ijmuiden, according to Edward Zwitser, a spokesman for the Royal Dutch Lifeboat Company.
The other boat, the Pechora Star, was also damaged but managed to continue its voyage.
The Dutch coastguard said all crew members were rescued from Julietta D as the vessel drifted in a wind turbine park.
Three helicopters, including one from Belgium, were involved in the rescue operation, which took place during powerful winds on Monday.
Mr Zwitser said Juliette D suffered damage “that poses direct danger for the 18 crew on board”.
Both ships had been anchored off the coast, but the Julietta D’s anchor “did not hold”, the coastguard said.
Thousands of homes in the Nordic region remained without power Monday and there were reports of flooding in North Sea and Baltic Sea harbours in the region.
The western Netherlands were hard hit Monday morning with powerful gusts uprooting trees and causing traffic problems.
Storm Corrie also hit Scotland late Sunday, hot on the heels of Storm Malik, which left thousands in Scotland and northern England without power as it blew down trees, damaged power lines and ripped roofs off homes.
A nine-year-old boy in the English county of Staffordshire and a 60-year-old woman in the Scottish city of Aberdeen died after trees were torn down on Saturday.
Also over the weekend, Danish media reported that a 78-year-old woman died from severe injuries after falling in strong winds.
In neighbouring Germany, local media reported that a man was killed on Saturday after being hit by a billboard that was loosened by the storm.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments