Man Dies After Falling Into River In South Wales During Storm Dennis As Police Declare 'Major Incident'
A man in South Wales has died after falling into a river during Storm Dennis as the UK was left counting the cost of the extreme weather.
The man fell into the River Tawe at Ystradgynlais at around 10am on Sunday, police said.
He was later found dead further along the river in the Trebanos area. He has not yet been named.
The news came as police in South Wales declared a major incident following severe flooding and the north Atlantic storm, described as a “bomb cyclone”, triggered nearly 600 flood warnings and alerts in England alone on Sunday - more than any other day on record.
Lifeboats were used to evacuate streets in some of the worst-it areas, with people moved to emergency rescue centres after their homes were devastated by water from overflowing rivers.
On Sunday afternoon South Wales Police said they had declared a major incident as firefighters and rescue crews continued to help communities who have been cut off due to the flood water.
It comes after residents in South Wales were warned that Storm Dennis could pose a “danger to life”, with the Met Office issuing a red weather warning until 11am on Sunday due to heavy rainfall and flooding risk.
Tredegar in south-eastern Wales received 105mm of rain in the 24 hours leading up to 7am, while a gust of 91mph was recorded on Saturday evening in Aberdaron.
One of the worst-hit areas in South Wales was the village of Nantgarw, Rhondda Cynon Taff, near Cardiff, which had seen entire streets left underwater since the early hours of Sunday morning.
Emergency teams including firefighters and volunteers had been evacuating the village’s Oxford Street since around 5am and were still working midday on Sunday.
Paul Mason, group manager of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said the scene his team had faced was the worst he had experienced in his 31-year career.
“The water was up to the window sills in some instances, so we sent a number of boats and crews down here to assist with our partner agencies,...
