Storm Malik also damaged cars, closed bridges, and caused flooding as it advanced across the Nordic region on Sunday.

It brought strong gusts of wind and extensive rain and snowfall to Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

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Malik reached the Nordic region and northern Germany late on Saturday after moving in from the UK, where it caused widespread damage and transport chaos.

Scotland, where a 60-year-old woman and a nine-year-old boy were killed by falling trees, was hit particularly bad as strong winds hammered northern parts of the UK.

Wind gusts of more than 100 mph (160 kph) have been reported in parts of Scotland, causing widespread disruption and power cuts to tens of thousands of homes.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warned that another storm due to hit the region on Sunday may be "more severe for parts of Scotland" than anticipated.

Excessively strong winds and heavy rain caused the temporary closure of several bridges in Denmark on Saturday, including the key Oresund road and rail bridge connecting Copenhagen and the Swedish city of Malmo.

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.

Flooding in many parts of Denmark caused substantial material damage.

Several traffic crashes caused by falling trees and flying debris were reported to police.

Southern parts of Sweden were also badly hit, and thousands of households were without electricity by Sunday afternoon.

Ferries to the Baltic Sea island of Gotland were cancelled because of strong winds.

Severe damage to houses, cars and boats, among other things, were reported in Norway while heavy snowfall throughout Finland caused road crashes and disrupted bus and train traffic in parts of the country.