Storm Ciara struck UK: Structural failures and a fatal accident reported

Powerful winds caused by Storm Ciara have resulted in crane failures and the destruction of a football club's stand in the United Kingdom.

Storm Chiara struck the United Kingdom on February 9, 2020, and it is expected to last for at least 2 days with winds reaching up to 150 km/h. The heavy storm has caused floods, power outages, road closures and has resulted in delays and cancels in public transportation.

In the town of Worthing, West Sussex, located in southern England, a crane was uncontrollably spinning around its axis due to strong winds that reached speeds of 66km/h. The rotation of the structure was caught on camera and the footage is stunning. Click the video below to watch the crane spinning.

People issued numerous reports about the spinning crane, however, the Police of Sussex ensured there is no threat associated with the structure's rotation since it was designed to allow displacements when high winds struck. “Sussex Police have been in contact with the developers and the crane's safety mechanism is designed to let it move in the wind,” Sussex Police posted on Twitter.

In Stanmore, a suburban residential district northeast of London, another crane was folded in half and collapsed. Authorities have not clarified whether there were any victims. Lindsey Wells, a local resident, posted a photograph on Twitter with the overturned crane. “(It) looks like it’s made of spaghetti. It’s lucky it wasn’t during the week, as it’s a very busy, big development,” Wells stated.

Moreover, the Fenland stadium of Wisbech Town F.C., a football club based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, suffered severe damage as strong winds tore apart its north stand. The stadium was built in 2010 and the total cost of the repairs will reach about $26,000. According to officials, it was not the intensity but the direction of the wind that destroyed the stand. "Our north stand has been completely destroyed. It's been there 10 years - since the stadium was built - and has survived stronger winds than this but it was the direction which did the damage. The identical stand at the other end is completely undamaged," Spencer Larham, the secretary of the club, said.

In Hampshire, another county in southern England, a tree fell and crashed into a vehicle on A33 roadway. Unfortunately, the driver was reported dead. 

A Hampshire Police statement said: "We are investigating after a tree fell onto a car on the A33 during the storm on Sunday (February 9) and killed a man. The 58-year-old man, from Micheldever, was driving his Mercedes from Winchester to Micheldever when the tree fell just before 4pm....The road was closed for several hours while emergency services attended. Sadly, the man was pronounced dead at the scene," Hampshire Police stated.

Sources: Independent, EDP24, Telegraph