THREE men have been killed in a horror crash when their car plunged into an icy river amid 70mph winds and chills of -6C as Storm Gerrit rages on.
The 4x4 vehicle plunged into the River Esk near Glaisdale on the North York Moors just before midday on Thursday.
Emergency services rushed to the scene just before noon with air support also scrambled to help out after the horror smash.
The vehicle was recovered from the river by the fire service just after 3pm but the three men inside were tragically confirmed to have died.
Another man who attempted to help those in the 4x4 was pulled to safety from the river just after midday.
The brave bystander said the trio were "swept away" as they attempted to cross a river in treacherous conditions.
Chris Ford, who lives nearby, said that the men were part of an off-roading group when they crossed a ford on Rake Lane.
The river, swollen by heavy rain, swept them away and carried them around 400 yards downstream, he said.
Chris, a firewood salesman, was called to the scene to help recover the vehicle with his tractor and found it fully submerged beneath the water, he said.
He and two others used tractors to pull the 4x4 on to the riverbank, he said.
Police said another man, who attempted to help those trapped in the car, was pulled from the river and needed medical treatment.
Chris said: "There was a ford they were going over and they were swept down 400 yards.
"They were part of an off-road club. I went down with my tractor. There was a couple of vehicles - one parked up.
"You couldn't see the (other) vehicle. It was 3ft beneath the water.
"I helped get it out on to the riverbank with three other tractors."
Two other locals, Rosie and Andrew Dale, said they were with Chris when he got the call to help.
They said they saw several 4x4 vehicles pass their home in the direction of the ford shortly before the incident.
Mrs Dale said "nobody local" would attempt to cross the ford in the current conditions.
Cops have warned that localised conditions across the area are making driving hazardous.
Roads are particularly badly affected around the River Esk, to the north of the county.
A force spokesperson added: "The key advice is to consider whether your journey is necessary.
"If you are driving, use your headlights, leave extra space to the car in front, and take it slow and steady.
"Please avoid driving through any kind of standing or moving flood water if you possibly can."
It comes as Storm Gerrit sparked chaos across the nation, severely disrupting travel, crushing vehicles under trees and seeing flights grinding to a halt.
Chills of -6.2C were recorded in Braemar, Scotland, on Wednesday, as winds of 70mph and heavy rain battered the UK.
Houses were left in a state of "absolute disaster" after a "localised tornado" hurtled through Stalybridge in Tameside.
Strong gusts from Storm Gerrit whipped through the town in Greater Manchester on Wednesday damaging around 100 properties.
No injuries were reported but many residents were forced to leave their homes.
Local Andy Turner said that the tornado lasted for about 15 seconds and was "pure carnage".
He said: "At 11.30pm last night, there was - all I can describe - is a hurricane came through. It lasted for about 15 seconds.
"Cars were parked outside the house. My wife's car is a write-off. My car took a bit of the brunt of the tree.
"It's just lucky that nobody was hurt. It was pure carnage."
The thunderstorm is now moving east across Morecambe Bay and may bring hail, frequent lightning and gusty winds to parts of Lancashire, according to the Met Office.
The news of a supercell thunderstorm moving across Lancashire comes as the forecaster reported the "worst" of Storm Gerrit has cleared away as of Thursday afternoon.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said in a Thursday afternoon forecast: "It is still a windy blustery picture for many of us as we go through the rest of today.
"Likely to be some gales, perhaps even severe gales, in some exposed spots and hefty showers; could be some hail, some sleet mixed in with these across parts of Scotland in particular."
Extraordinary pictures show how Bowling station in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, turned into a canal as water flooded the tracks yesterday.
Meanwhile at least eighteen British Airways flights due in and out of Heathrow were axed.
Thousands of travellers hoping to return to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester had their plans ripped up.
And those bound for Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris Charles de Gaulle had their journeys canned as air traffic control brought in a raft of travel restrictions.
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