Snow brings travel chaos to Europe
Source: Agencies |
December 2, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
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HEAVY snow and sub-zero temperatures swept across Europe, killing at least eight homeless people in Poland, closing major airports in Britain and Switzerland, and causing delays to rail and road traffic across the continent.
In addition to Gatwick, one of Britain's busiest airports, and Geneva, Switzerland's second biggest one, Edinburgh airport in Scotland and Lyon-Bron airport in southeastern France were closed yesterday as staff struggled to clear the runways of snow.
In Poland, police said eight men died on Tuesday night after a cold front hit the country, with temperatures falling to around minus 20 degrees Celsius. Police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said the men had all been drinking.
Sokolowski said the men died in different parts of Poland, where many freeze to death each winter, mostly homeless people and drunks. The coldest temperature registered on Tuesday night was in the eastern Polish city of Bialystok, where it dropped to minus 26 degrees.
Officials at Gatwick said the airport could remain closed until today, stranding about 600 flights that were expected to depart yesterday. The airport has added extra staff on the ground working "around the clock" to clear runways. Passengers were advised not to travel to the airport, but to check with their airline or visit Gatwick's website for updates.
Zurich, Switzerland's biggest airport, reported delays and cancellations on the day many VIPs, including former United States President Bill Clinton and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were traveling to FIFA's headquarters to push their countries' bids to host the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups - the winners will be announced today.
Airport spokeswoman Sonja Zoechling said officials anticipate heavy snowfall there, but expected to keep flights going.
Still, the presence of so many private jets in Zurich yesterday meant the airport had to turn down requests for diverted landings, she said.
The European air traffic control authority, Eurocontrol, also reported severe delays at Berlin's Tegel airport and in northern Spain.
Eurostar trains through the Channel Tunnel were affected. Operators said six trains to and from London were canceled and delays of up to 30 minutes on other services were expected.
Swiss weather agency Meteosuisse forecast more snowfall throughout the day as a low-pressure front centered over western Europe moves slowly eastward.
French weather service Meteo France placed nine regions in the northwest and southeast of France on a weather alert warning of snow and ice.
SNCF, France's national railway, said traffic on the main southeast routes has been affected by strong snowfall, but 80 percent of high-speed trains were running.
Some 60 flights had to be canceled at Frankfurt airport, Germany's largest, due to planes that were not able to fly in on Tuesday because of weather problems elsewhere. There were no delays due to the weather yesterday, the airport said.
Winter weather caused some 2,000 accidents on German roads on Tuesday, officials said. A new law requiring German drivers to use winter tires took effect yesterday. Drivers still using summer tires will be fined between 40 euros (US$50) and 80 euros.
In Poland, police were carrying out patrols to find homeless people and get them into shelters, and appealed to the public to contact authorities if they saw anyone lying out on benches or the streets. Throughout the country there have also been delays in rail travel.
Poland's bad weather was also blamed for a collision between a tram and a car that killed one person in Szczecin, a city on the German border.
In addition to Gatwick, one of Britain's busiest airports, and Geneva, Switzerland's second biggest one, Edinburgh airport in Scotland and Lyon-Bron airport in southeastern France were closed yesterday as staff struggled to clear the runways of snow.
In Poland, police said eight men died on Tuesday night after a cold front hit the country, with temperatures falling to around minus 20 degrees Celsius. Police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said the men had all been drinking.
Sokolowski said the men died in different parts of Poland, where many freeze to death each winter, mostly homeless people and drunks. The coldest temperature registered on Tuesday night was in the eastern Polish city of Bialystok, where it dropped to minus 26 degrees.
Officials at Gatwick said the airport could remain closed until today, stranding about 600 flights that were expected to depart yesterday. The airport has added extra staff on the ground working "around the clock" to clear runways. Passengers were advised not to travel to the airport, but to check with their airline or visit Gatwick's website for updates.
Zurich, Switzerland's biggest airport, reported delays and cancellations on the day many VIPs, including former United States President Bill Clinton and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were traveling to FIFA's headquarters to push their countries' bids to host the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups - the winners will be announced today.
Airport spokeswoman Sonja Zoechling said officials anticipate heavy snowfall there, but expected to keep flights going.
Still, the presence of so many private jets in Zurich yesterday meant the airport had to turn down requests for diverted landings, she said.
The European air traffic control authority, Eurocontrol, also reported severe delays at Berlin's Tegel airport and in northern Spain.
Eurostar trains through the Channel Tunnel were affected. Operators said six trains to and from London were canceled and delays of up to 30 minutes on other services were expected.
Swiss weather agency Meteosuisse forecast more snowfall throughout the day as a low-pressure front centered over western Europe moves slowly eastward.
French weather service Meteo France placed nine regions in the northwest and southeast of France on a weather alert warning of snow and ice.
SNCF, France's national railway, said traffic on the main southeast routes has been affected by strong snowfall, but 80 percent of high-speed trains were running.
Some 60 flights had to be canceled at Frankfurt airport, Germany's largest, due to planes that were not able to fly in on Tuesday because of weather problems elsewhere. There were no delays due to the weather yesterday, the airport said.
Winter weather caused some 2,000 accidents on German roads on Tuesday, officials said. A new law requiring German drivers to use winter tires took effect yesterday. Drivers still using summer tires will be fined between 40 euros (US$50) and 80 euros.
In Poland, police were carrying out patrols to find homeless people and get them into shelters, and appealed to the public to contact authorities if they saw anyone lying out on benches or the streets. Throughout the country there have also been delays in rail travel.
Poland's bad weather was also blamed for a collision between a tram and a car that killed one person in Szczecin, a city on the German border.
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