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Woman drowns in flooded river

27 February 2010 17:39 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. A woman was swept to her death while trying to cross a flooded river as forecasters warned that Britain faced five days of stormy weather, APA reports citing The Sun.

The 53-year-old was traversing the swollen moorland river in her Land Rover when she was washed away.

A major search for the woman was launched after the rugged 4x4 was found almost totally submerged under a bridge near Cropton, on the North Yorkshire Moors yesterday.

A force spokeswoman said: "Following searches by the emergency services, a woman’s body was recovered from the beck at 4.20pm. "Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident to establish how this tragic accident has happened."

The woman who died was from the Beverley area of East Yorkshire and her name has not yet been released. Officers said the car was thought to have gone into the water at around 12.20pm.

A helicopter from RAF Leconfield, in East Yorkshire, was scrambled to help in the search along with firefighters and police divers. The tragedy came as forecasters announced they are expecting tomorrow to bring fresh storms, especially in the east and south.

Weather forecasters said a broad band of heavy rain accompanied by strong winds would sweep across southern England starting overnight and into tomorrow, pushing northwards through the day.