FIVE members of the same family, including two children, were feared dead last night after a huge wave swept their cars into the sea as they tried to escape hurricane-force storms and flooding that battered their home.

The bodies of the two men and a woman were recovered from the sea and shore on two islands in the Outer Hebrides, and two cars were found.

Asearch was continuing for the children.

Police named the family as Archie and Murdina MacPherson, both in their mid-30s, their children Andrew, seven, and Hannah, five, and Murdina's father, Calum Campbell, 67.

They were trying to flee their home because of f looding late on Tuesday.

The tragedy happened on a night when the most powerful Atlantic storm to hit Scotland in more than a decade battered the country, with gusts reaching 124mph.

More than 85,000 homes in the north and west were left without electricity. By last night about 35,000 still lacked power.

It is understood that police searching for the missing family were working on the theory that they became concerned at the height of the tide at their flooded house, at Aird a' Mhachair in the north of South Uist, and decided to drive about two miles to Mr MacPherson's mother's house.

It is believed they set off in two cars along the road which runs close to the shore, but were swept away before they arrived. The exact sequence of events was unclear last night.

Another version was that the cars were swept away as they crossed the causeway that links the islands of South Uist and Benbecula.

Northern Constabulary said the family members were last heard of at 7pm on Tuesday.

They were reported missing at noon yesterday.

A statement said: "Since then the two vehicles have been found, one at Iochdar (or Eochar) and the other between Kilaulay and Iochdar. Searches of both vehicles proved negative.

"The body of a male identified as one of the family members was a man in his 30s. He was found on the shore line at Creagorry in the early afternoon. In the early evening the body of an older male was discovered in the water at Creagorry.

"Three people are still missing: a woman in her 30s and two children aged under 10 years."

Police said that a full land and sea search would continue today.

The communities of North and South Uist, which have a population of about 8000, were said to be devastated last night.

Mr MacPherson had been a joinerwith Western Isles Council but left to set up his own business.

Mrs MacPherson was the secretary at Iochdar school.

She had previously worked as a production secretary in the BBC Scotland Gaelic magazine programme, Eorpa, and as a PA to the head of the BBC's Gaelic department in Glasgow.

The couple had returned to the Uists, where Mrs MacPherson was born and brought up, about three years ago.

Her father, Calum Campbell, was a well known piper. He worked as a piping instructor in Uist schools for more than 30 years.

He had been visiting his daughter when the incoming tide, combined with hurricaneforce winds on Benbecula recorded at almost 100mph, threatened the remote community, which looks out on to the stretch of shallow channel and sand that divides their island from Benbecula to the north.

Peter Carlin, the local councillor, said: "The whole island is devastated. It will affect the community badly."

Alasdair Morrison, Labour MSP for the Western Isles and who was brought up on North Uist, said he was absolutely shocked. "The storms have caused enormous damage to buildings and other structures but these are, quite frankly, mundane issues when put into tragic context with the very sad news that there has been this awful loss of life in the Uists."

Fred Morrison, a renowned solo piper from Benbecula and good friend of Mr Campbell, said: "I can't take in what's happened. Calum and his family were very well known. He was a great guy, a great musician, and a great composer. Everyone will be shocked and saddened by their deaths."

A military aid flight was flying in vehicles and equipment to help communities in the Western Isles, which took the brunt of the storms.

Elsewhere yesterday, 10 members of the crew of a Spanish fishing vessel, the Cibeles, were winched to safety by Stornoway Coastguard helicopter after it developed engine trouble in gales 180 miles west of Lewis. Nine crew members remained on board.

First ScotRail cancelled all early morning train services across Scotland for safety reasons after high winds left a trail of debris on lines. The move caused major disruption to rush-hour commuters. However, a near normal service was restored by the evening rushhour. Limited rail services were also restored to Virgin Trains' west coast main line route after problems with flooding.

Only about 25-per cent of Caledonian MacBrayne's entire west coast fleet operated as normal.

All schools in the Western Isles and many in the Highland Council area will remain closed today.

A man who died on the A1 Edinburgh to Newcastle road after his car was in collision with a lorry was named as Ian Aitchison, 48, of Berwickshire.

Insurers estimated UK damage caused by the storm to be tens of millions of pounds.