Woman dies after being swept into Angus river
Officers were called out to reports of a woman being swept into the Water of Lee, Glen Esk earlier this afternoon.
Last updated 19th Oct 2023
A woman's body has been recovered from an Angus river where a red weather warning for rain is currently in place.
Officers were called earlier this afternoon to reports of a person being swept into the Water of Lee.
Police Scotland say a 57-year-old's body was found.
A spokesperson said: "Around 1.45pm on Thursday October 19, officers attended a report of a person having been swept into the Water of Lee, Glen Esk.
"Around 4pm, the body of a 57-year-old woman was recovered from the river.
"There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."
First Minister Humza Yousaf paid tribute on social media.
He said: "Such sad news.
"My thoughts are with the family, friends and loved ones of the woman who has sadly lost her life."
It comes as hundreds of people were urged to evacuate their homes earlier today as Storm Babet hit Scotland.
Residents in 335 homes in Brechin and a further 87 homes in Tannadice and Finavon were asked to evacuate due to risk of severe flooding.
At 8:30pm this evening, Angus Council urged those who had been told to evacuate, but not already done so, to leave their homes.
Thousands across Scotland have been left without power today, particularly in Aberdeenshire and Angus, as unprecedented levels of rain hit the country.
The Met Office red weather warning remains in place for Aberdeenshire, Dundee, Perth & Kinross and Angus until midday tomorrow.
It highlights how the weather could bring a "danger to life" with extended flooding for those affected.
Following a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGoRR) on Thursday evening, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said: "Storm Babet is still in its early stages and the worst impacts are yet to come.
"Protecting the public is our immediate priority and we are co-ordinating a national effort to ensure that people are safe.
"The red warning has been expanded to cover further parts of Scotland and we expect weather conditions to deteriorate seriously overnight.
"Our message is clear - if you live in the areas covered by the red warning, please stay at home and do not travel, unless advised to relocate to a rest centre.
"With weather warnings in place for much of the country, I would urge everyone to be vigilant and to exercise extreme caution. No matter where you live, please make sure you stay up to date with conditions affecting your area.
"If you need to travel in a yellow warning area then make sure you can travel safely and that roads and services are not impacted.
"We are working with partners across the country, including emergency services, the voluntary sector and energy companies, to make sure that we mitigate disruption as much as possible.
"However, we are clear that there will be considerable disruption and we expect to launch a major clean-up operation as we move into the weekend."