A sailor was killed yesterday after a massive wave hit a ship off the Westcountry coast during the worst storm of the winter.
The fatal accident aboard the tanker, the Annie PG, happened as the region was battered by torrential rain and winds of up to 73mph, nudging Force 12 on the Beaufort scale, the Met Office confirmed.
Nearly an inch of rain fell in some of areas of Devon and Cornwall as the storm swept quickly across the region yesterday morning causing widespread disruption on the first day back to work after the New Year.
Dozens of trees were felled by the high winds, 1,000 properties were left without power and many roads were flooded by surface water during the height of the storm.
The search and rescue mission was launched at 11.40am when three crewmen, one British and two foreign, were washed across the deck and into railings on the 140-metre Annie PG, as she sailed 20 miles south of Plymouth.
The most seriously injured sailor was stretchered from the ship first by a Royal Navy rescue helicopter and flown to Derriford Hospital where he was later confirmed dead.
Lieutenant Rob Spinks, from 771 Squadron RNAS Culdrose, near Helston, said the deck continued to be hit by large waves during the rescue.
"It was quite tricky," he told the Western Morning News. "There was a 20-30ft swell with winds of about 35 knots.
"The main difficulty we faced was getting the guys on and off because the tanker was moving around so much."
After flying to Plymouth, the air crew returned to the fuel tanker, which is flagged by the Isle of Man and had been en route to the refinery at Stanlow, in Cheshire, and picked up a further two less seriously hurt crewmen.
With the ship heading west, they were flown to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, Truro, for treatment. The Annie PG was last night expected to stop at Falmouth to allow the shocked crew to recover.
No further details of the dead crewman have been released. The incident is being investigated by the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch.
On shore, the emergency services and council highway crews were inundated with calls, although Devon and Cornwall Police said there were no reports of serious injuries.
Conditions for motorists were particularly hazardous with downed trees and deep standing water on many routes.
Firefighters rescued people in two cars from floodwater at Newlands Bridge, North Tawton. Just after 10am officers helped an adult and a child from a car that had become stuck in floodwater on the main road.
Less than an hour later, they pulled a woman and two children from a car at the same spot which had stalled in water a metre deep.
One woman and her three children also had to be rescued after being trapped in their car by floodwater near Sanguishayes Farm, at Plymtree, Cullompton.
At 1pm, a man was helped from a vehicle on a flooded road between Sutcombe and Bradworthy, North Devon.
The force of the winds blew off a section of the steel roof from a service station in Plymouth, forcing the nearby road to be closed.
Meanwhile, caravans, high-sided vehicles and motorbikes were banned from crossing the Tamar Bridge in Plymouth for several hours. Fire crews also helped to rescue a horse which was trapped in a water-filled ditch with its feet trapped in barbed wire at Petrockstowe, Okehampton. It was rescued with minor injuries.
Devon County Council confirmed that around 20 teams were being scrambled to clear roads as incidents arose.
It received 16 reports of felled trees across the county.
In Cornwall, a large tree fell on the road between Redruth and St Day, while others were reported at Lanner, Tregony, Trispen, and Ponsanooth.
A spokesman for Cornwall Council said: "Around 20 crews from Cornwall Highways dealt with more than 50 incidents across the county throughout the morning. These ranged from minor road flooding, fallen trees and standing water to blocked drains."
More than 1,000 homes were also left without power in Redruth after electricity lines were brought down.
Elsewhere, the flight to London Gatwick was delayed at Newquay Airport, and Land's End Airport reported disruption to flights due to high winds.
Passengers also faced delays of up to 60 minutes between Penzance and Par, due to electricity power cables down on the track.
Last night, 13 flood warnings and 28 flood alerts issued by the Environment Agency remained in place, with many rivers swollen by yesterday's torrential rain.
Warnings were issued for the River Taw from Newnham Bridge to Barnstaple, the River Torridge from Dolton to Bideford, and the River Exe from Tiverton to Exeter.
The agency said flooding was also expected on the River Yarty, from Yarcombe to Axminster, the River Otter at Honiton, Weston and Fenny Bridges, and the River Batherm at Bampton.
Riverside roads and properties were also deemed to be at risk on the River Dart from Buckfastleigh to Totnes, including Staverton, and the River Exe, from Exford to Exebridge. Alerts were also in place on the Lynher in Cornwall and the River Tamar.
source: thisiscornwall.co.uk
