Heavy snowfall and cold weather have brought large parts of Europe to a sudden halt, disrupting rail networks and flight connectivity. At least six people have lost their lives in weather-related incidents, according to the BBC. Snow, black ice and freezing rain have battered the continent.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled on Tuesday. Train services were disrupted, and thousands of passengers were left stranded at major airports. Authorities have warned that the disruption is not over yet, with more snow expected in the coming days.
France struggles with black ice and road accidents
France has seen the highest number of deaths so far. Five people were killed in separate incidents linked to dangerous road conditions. In the south-western region of Landes, three people died in two different accidents caused by black ice, according BBC, citing local authorities. The icy roads made driving extremely risky, even for experienced drivers.
15 people were left injured in road accidents on Tuesday, according to the authorities in the Landes region of south-west France. Two more deaths were reported in Paris, the BBC reported. One person died after a car collided with a heavy goods vehicle in eastern Paris, police confirmed. In another incident, a taxi skidded on the snow and plunged into the Marne River. The passenger did not survive.
In Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, a woman was killed after a tree collapsed under the weight of heavy, wet snow. Police said around 40 centimetres (16 inches) of snow had fallen on the city.
Snow warning issued
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned that more snowfall was expected on Tuesday night and Wednesday. He urged people to avoid unnecessary travel and asked workers to stay home if possible. France’s national weather service announced that 38 districts would be placed on an orange alert for snow and black ice on Wednesday. Several train services across the country were cancelled as a precaution.
In southern and eastern Germany, temperatures dropped below minus 10 degrees Celsius early on Tuesday. Britain also faced a deep freeze. Overnight temperatures fell to minus 12.5 degrees Celsius, with snow disrupting road, rail and air travel.
Airports shut down amid heavy snowfall across Europe
In Paris, authorities said that 40% of flights at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport would be cancelled for several hours on Wednesday morning. At Orly Airport, about a quarter of all flights were cancelled during the same period. More than 400 flights were cancelled on Wednesday at Netherlands’ Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport. Many stranded travellers were unable to catch a connecting flight. Screens showed long lists of delays and cancellations.
On Tuesday morning, all train services in the Netherlands were briefly halted due to an IT outage. Some trains began running again after 9:00 am local time, but problems continued throughout the day. Eurostar services between Amsterdam and Paris were either cancelled or running late.