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Four killed and flights suspended as storm lashes Europe Deadly gales halt trains and flights across north-west Europe
(about 3 hours later)
Severe storm batters Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and parts of UK, uprooting power lines and trees Storm lashes Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and parts of UK, uprooting power lines and trees
Agencies Jon Henley European affairs correspondent
Thu 18 Jan 2018 12.47 GMT Thu 18 Jan 2018 15.49 GMT
First published on Thu 18 Jan 2018 11.20 GMTFirst published on Thu 18 Jan 2018 11.20 GMT
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Three people have been killed in the Netherlands and one person in Belgium, and all flights were briefly suspended at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, as a severe storm battered north-west Europe. Violent gales have battered north-west Europe, killing at least five people, toppling trees and trucks, bringing down power lines, grounding aircraft and halting road and rail traffic across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The hub scrapped 260 flights amid gusts of nearly 90mph (140km/h). Schiphol later said some flights would resume as the storm moved inland, but there would be severe delays. All long-distance train services were cancelled in Germany after the Netherlands bore the early brunt of the second major winter storm this month, with Schiphol airport in Amsterdam suspending all traffic for two hours and closing two of its three departure halls as tiles flew off the terminal building.
Dutch police said three people were killed by falling trees or debris in separate incidents. In Rotterdam, shipping containers were toppled and roofs ripped off homes, local TV showed. More than 260 flights were cancelled as winds of up to 90mph (140km/h) prompted the Dutch weather service to issue a nationwide red alert, the highest alarm level. Services resumed later but with severe delays.
Water authorities in the low-lying country are monitoring the weather conditions and preparing to close locks and storm barriers because of high water levels. A 62-year-old man was killed in the central village of Olst when he was hit by a falling branch as he got out of his lorry to remove debris from the road, while another 62-year-old died in the eastern city of Enschede when a tree fell on to his car, and a 66-year-old man died in a fall believed to have been caused by the high winds.
In Belgium, a motorist died after a tree crushed her car, local media reported, and authorities closed Ghent port due to high winds. In Rotterdam, shipping containers were toppled and roofs ripped off homes. Europe’s busiest cargo port was “virtually unreachable from the north” because of traffic holdups on three of the main motorways into the city, the national traffic service VID said. At least 25 large freight trucks had been knocked on their sides by the winds, causing huge traffic jams on six of the country’s main roads.
Germany and the UK have also been hit by strong winds. In Britain, 70mph gusts were recorded and thousands of homes in south-east England were without electricity. The Dutch national railways service, NS, halted all trains for most of the morning except for local services in the south of the country and warned that “a large number of breakdowns” meant normal service could take hours to restore. Neighbouring Belgium halted the high-speed Thalys services to the Netherlands and Germany.
Overhead power lines that supply trains were damaged and trees were brought crashing on to tracks, causing severe delays for thousands of commuters. In Germany, where gusts of wind reached up to 80mph (130km/h), a 59-year-old man was killed by a falling tree in Emmerich near the Dutch border and several more injured. Up to 100,000 were left without electricity, flights were cancelled at Düsseldorf and Cologne-Bonn airports, and train services cancelled in the states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.
Driving conditions in parts of Scotland were described by the Met Office as extremely hazardous, and motorists were advised to stay off the roads because of blustery winds, heavy snow and icy conditions. Schools were closed as a precautionary measure in many parts of the country and Germans – particularly in western regions – were warned to stay indoors if at all possible. Heavy snowfall and slippery roads were causing car accidents “every other minute” on some roads in northern Germany, authorities said, and the square in front of Cologne’s cathedral was cordoned off in case of falling debris.
In Germany, the railway operator Deutsche Bahn said it had suspended all services in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most populous state, leaving hundreds of thousands of travellers and commuters stranded. “Since this affects many long-distance connections, there are effects on the entire rail services, also internationally,” Deutsche Bahn said. The Belgian port of Ghent was temporarily closed, and a woman was killed near Brussels when her car was crushed by a falling tree. Trams were suspended in the Belgian capital for several hours and the city’s major parks closed for fear of falling trees.
In many parts of Germany, schools remained shut as the country prepared for heavy winds, snow and rain. The authorities advised residents of western and northern Germany to stay at home on Thursday. Parts of the UK were also hit by gale-force winds of up to 70mph (110km/h) and thousands of homes in south-east England were without electricity. Overhead power lines supplying trains were damaged and trees brought crashing on to tracks, causing severe delays for thousands of commuters.
The DPA news agency reported that police had said there were crashes “every other minute” on highways between Wilhelmshaven and Westerstede in northern Germany. Driving conditions in parts of Scotland were described by the Met Office as extremely hazardous, with motorists advised to stay off the roads because of blustery winds, heavy snow and icy conditions. Thousands of homes in the east of England were also left without power.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report
NetherlandsNetherlands
BelgiumBelgium
GermanyGermany
ScotlandScotland
Amsterdam Airport SchipholAmsterdam Airport Schiphol
WeatherWeather
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