Emmerdale character death toll could hit eight or nine after devastating storm

'Emmerdale' could kill off "eight or nine" characters this weekend.

The ITV soap is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday (22.10.22) after a killer storm ravaged the village and saw several characters in danger, while Harriet Finch (Katherine Dow Blyton) died in Sunday night's episode (16.10.22) after falling off a quad bike and getting hit by an explosion following a lightning strike.

Speaking to ITV Yorkshire, director Tim O'Mara warned: "No one is safe. There's a possibility of eight or nine characters not being around for very long.

"We do got to the hospital on a number of visits - a number of people hurt by debris flying around the village, there are accidents in the woods, trees falling on people.

"There are massive accidents at the farm, which might attract the attention of one or two characters."

As well as teasing "some stunts in the woods", Tim suggested there is a lot more to come.

He continued: "There's a massive problem in the village that will involved two of the other characters. Plus, there's some stunts in the woods nearby.

"And of course, there's a wedding. So when you mix all of that up, it's going to be sensational."

Scary scenes have already shown Kim Tate (Claire King) surviving after she fell off her horse and hit her head on a rock, while Monday's episode (17.10.22) showed Sam Dingle (James Hooton) impaled on a digger's spikes after getting caught up in a cattle stampede.

Characters being killed off won't be the only drama this weekend, with Tim also promising big changes to the village itself.

He added: "Viewers are in for a number of surprises. They will see parts of the village destroyed."

And Nicola Wheeler - who stars as Nicola King - admitted the cast themselves found it tough on set due to the use of high powered wind machines conjuring up 130mph gusts which actually flipped cards and destroyed buildings.

She said: "They cranked them up to 100 per cent and you literally can't walk against them."