Snow, ice wreak havoc across Europe, causing deadly accidents
Snow, ice and freezing temperatures hit parts of Europe on Tuesday, causing treacherous traffic conditions that left at least five people dead in France and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights from one of the continent’s busiest airports. Authorities in the Les Landes region of southwestern France reported three dead in accidents, and at least two more people were reportedly killed in the Ile-de-France region around Paris, where authorities ordered trucks off the road as snowfall caused huge traffic jams on Monday.
Paris awoke Tuesday to a blanket of snow on its famous rooftops and sites, and children whose schools couldn’t hold classes delighted in an unexpected day off. Air travelers were less happy, as heavy snowfall forced the closure of six airports in the north and west of France. As snow fell across the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that some 400 flights were grounded as crews worked to clear runways and de-ice planes waiting to depart.
Hundreds of flights were also cancelled Monday in Amsterdam and more snow was forecast for the rest of the week. Just getting to and from the airport outside the Dutch capital was a struggle with frozen points and an early morning software glitch throwing the Netherlands’ rail system into turmoil. Limited rail services resumed later in the morning but routes around Amsterdam remained largely closed because of the icy conditions, national railway company NS said on its website. It urged commuters to “only travel if it’s absolutely necessary”.
Commuters forced to drive to work also faced time-consuming journeys as a combination of the snow and ice snarled traffic on some highways. In Rome, weeks of rain that have swollen the Tiber River over its banks again muted Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas-time celebrations. St Peter’s Square was only partially full Tuesday as a few thousand people crowded under colourful umbrellas to hear Leo deliver his Epiphany blessing from the loggia St. Peter’s Basilica.
