Snow batters Europe, 12 dead
Source: Agencies |
December 3, 2010, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FREEZING temperatures and often blinding snowfall killed 12 more people and caused travel chaos across northern Europe yesterday, while some of the worst floods in a century devastated parts of the Balkans.
Airports closed down or delayed flights across the continent, roads were coated in an impassible mix of ice and snow and even Europe's vaulted high-speed trains struggled to cope.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in three Balkan countries - Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro - and were evacuating hundreds of people after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along the Drina River - the worst in 104 years, officials said.
"From my terrace, I no longer see a river, but a lake that has flooded parts of the town's center," said Muris Razanica, whose hillside hotel has a great view of the Bosnian town of Gorazde.
Tourist agencies in Bosnia handed over their rafts so Civil Protection workers could rescue people from apartments in Foca, where water levels has reached the first floor. Those who dared remain on upper floors were given food and water.
On the other side of the river, authorities in Serbia and Montenegro evacuated hundreds of people as the Drina flooded farms and roads. Schools were closed, many people had no electricity or heat and water supplies were contaminated along the river in all three countries.
In Poland, the cold claimed 10 more lives, bringing the overall deaths there to 18, a police spokesman said, as police scourged the streets for homeless or drunk people in hopes of saving their lives.
Two deaths were reported in Germany, a 73-year-old in Lower Saxony who was struck by a train while trying to clear snow and an 18-year-old in Baden-Wuerttemberg, who lost control of his vehicle on an icy road and crashed into a truck.
Authorities in Berlin kept subway stations, soup kitchens and heated buses open all night to provide shelter for the city's homeless. Thousands in Germany had to sleep overnight on trains - either stuck by the wild weather or due to a lack of hotel rooms.
Air travel was upended. Gatwick Airport, one of Britain's busiest, was closed for a second straight day, canceling another 600 flights as conditions continued to deteriorate. Edinburgh Airport and London's City Airport were also closed until evening.
Some 3,000 stranded rail passengers struggled to sleep overnight in their trains, German railway operator Deutsche Bahn said. Nothing was moving along many of Germany's high-speed train links, such as between Nuremberg and Leipzig, or between Hamburg and the Danish capital Copenhagen.
Airports closed down or delayed flights across the continent, roads were coated in an impassible mix of ice and snow and even Europe's vaulted high-speed trains struggled to cope.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in three Balkan countries - Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro - and were evacuating hundreds of people after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding along the Drina River - the worst in 104 years, officials said.
"From my terrace, I no longer see a river, but a lake that has flooded parts of the town's center," said Muris Razanica, whose hillside hotel has a great view of the Bosnian town of Gorazde.
Tourist agencies in Bosnia handed over their rafts so Civil Protection workers could rescue people from apartments in Foca, where water levels has reached the first floor. Those who dared remain on upper floors were given food and water.
On the other side of the river, authorities in Serbia and Montenegro evacuated hundreds of people as the Drina flooded farms and roads. Schools were closed, many people had no electricity or heat and water supplies were contaminated along the river in all three countries.
In Poland, the cold claimed 10 more lives, bringing the overall deaths there to 18, a police spokesman said, as police scourged the streets for homeless or drunk people in hopes of saving their lives.
Two deaths were reported in Germany, a 73-year-old in Lower Saxony who was struck by a train while trying to clear snow and an 18-year-old in Baden-Wuerttemberg, who lost control of his vehicle on an icy road and crashed into a truck.
Authorities in Berlin kept subway stations, soup kitchens and heated buses open all night to provide shelter for the city's homeless. Thousands in Germany had to sleep overnight on trains - either stuck by the wild weather or due to a lack of hotel rooms.
Air travel was upended. Gatwick Airport, one of Britain's busiest, was closed for a second straight day, canceling another 600 flights as conditions continued to deteriorate. Edinburgh Airport and London's City Airport were also closed until evening.
Some 3,000 stranded rail passengers struggled to sleep overnight in their trains, German railway operator Deutsche Bahn said. Nothing was moving along many of Germany's high-speed train links, such as between Nuremberg and Leipzig, or between Hamburg and the Danish capital Copenhagen.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
