Fears missing pensioner, 87, may have fallen into swollen River Exe
Fears missing pensioner, 87, may have fallen into swollen River Exe in Devon to become SIXTH person killed by Storm Dennis
- Jean Disney was last seen in the Devon town of Tiverton at 3am on Monday
- Missing 87-year-old pensioner is thought to have fallen into the River Exe
- Emergency services carry out searches as well as members of the public
- She is feared to become the sixth death from Storm Dennis in five days
A missing 87-year-old woman thought to have fallen into a flooded river is feared to become the sixth death from Storm Dennis in five days.
Jean Disney was last seen in the Devon town of Tiverton at 3am on Monday morning, and is thought to have fallen into the River Exe.
Emergency services have been carrying out searches as well as members of the public, who have been urged to keep away from the swollen river.
Police continued to search for Jean Disney, 87, of Tiverton, Devon, who is thought to have fallen into the River Exe
Mountain rescue teams and firefighters are involved in the search for Ms Disney, who was wearing a dark coloured jacket over a dressing gown at the time.
Police co-ordinating the search have asked members of the public carrying out their own searches to stay away from flooded areas.
A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: ‘These searches are currently confined to the River Exe, as evidence at this time has strongly indicated that Jean fell into the water in the early hours of Monday.
‘Police are aware that local residents and concerned members of the public have been organising their own searches.
‘Officers strongly urge anyone wishing to assist not to approach any areas immediately adjacent to the river, or any other flooded areas.’
Ms Disney was last seen in the Johns Way area of Tiverton and has been described by police as of ‘average build, with short grey hair’.
It comes after five people died during Storm Dennis, including two men whose bodies were recovered off the Kent coast over the weekend.
A man in his 60s died on Sunday after being pulled from the River Tawe near Trebanos Rugby Club in the Swansea Valley.
Hill walker Richard Armstrong, 42, from Cumbria, plunged nearly 100ft from the path for the 3,278ft-high Scottish mountain Stob Ban in Lochaber on Sunday.
And in Worcestershire, Yvonne Booth, 55, became stranded in her car and was carried by fast-flowing water near a bridge which crosses the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells on Sunday. Her body was recovered on Monday evening.
Anyone with information about Jean Disney is asked to call detectives on 999, quoting log number 63 of February 17
The seven deaths during storms Ciara and Dennis
STORM CIARA (2)
- Hampshire: Shop owner Kenneth Macartney, 58, was crushed to death when a tree fell on his Mercedes car and killed him while he was heading home to the village of Micheldever near Winchester on February 9.
- West Dumbartonshire: A 77-year-old man from the town in Clydebank fell over and banged his head during icy weather on the morning of February 10.
STORM DENNIS (5)
- Kent: A 19-year-old man’s body was recovered from storm-hit waters off the coast at Herne Bay on Saturday.
- Kent: A man’s body was found in the water near Margate after he fell off a Maltese fuel tanker in the early hours of Saturday morning.
- South Wales: A man in his 60s died on Sunday after being pulled from the River Tawe near Trebanos Rugby Club in the Swansea Valley, but police said his death was not being linked to the bad weather.
- Highlands: Hill walker Richard Armstrong, 42, from Cumbria, plunged nearly 100ft from the path for the 3,278ft-high Scottish mountain Stob Ban on the south side of Glen Nevis in Lochaber on Sunday.
- Worcestershire: Yvonne Booth, 55, from Birmingham became stranded in her car and was carried by fast-flowing water near a bridge which crosses the River Teme, near Tenbury Wells on Sunday. Her body was recovered on Monday evening.
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