Blizzards cause chaos in Europe

2005-12-28 20:09

Paris - Europe shivered on Wednesday in the grip of an icy cold snap, with France hardest hit by blizzards that left thousands of motorists stranded in sub-zero temperatures or forced into roadside shelters overnight.

Snowstorms also brought road chaos to Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic, causing train cancellations in Britain and delays at two German airports.

Regional authorities said that worst hit was northwestern France, where 5 000 to 10 000 people spent a chilly night behind the wheel after traffic ground to a halt on a stretch of motorway between the towns of Toul and Nancy.

Traffic gradually resumed on Wednesday morning, though hampered by ice and snow, and trucks from neighbouring Luxembourg and Belgium were allowed back onto the highway after the lifting of an overnight safety ban.

Snow-clearance workers

In the northwestern Manche department, 300 to 400 people were taken into shelters for the night, after deep snow caused a string of truck accidents that left the road log jammed and blocked access for snow-clearance workers.

Below-freezing conditions had gripped most of France, with the cold snap bringing temperatures of minus 15 Celsius to some central regions and the southeastern Alps.

Weather experts had warned drivers to be on alert for snow and icy road conditions in the Calvados and Manche departments in the west, as well as across Bourgogne, Allier, Aube, Loire and Puy-de-Dome in the east.

Eighty of the country's 100 departments had opened extra shelters for homeless people, and five had mobilised special teams of social workers to help protect the homeless from the cold.

Freezing temperatures expected

In eastern England, snowfall halted several train services on Wednesday morning as weather forecasters warned of more freezing temperatures across the country and dangerous, icy road conditions.

Meteorologists said the places most likely to see more snow were the eastern coastal counties of England - worst hit so far - and parts of Scotland.

Flight delays of up to 30 minutes were affecting Frankfurt and Stuttgart airports, as Germany lay blanketed almost entirely in white, with more heavy snowfall expected in the coming days.

Truck accident

In the Czech Republic, the highway linking Prague to the country's second city Brno was closed on Wednesday morning after a collision between four trucks.

The road link from Brno to the Austrian capital, Vienna, was also shut down on Wednesday after a truck accident, with other less serious incidents reported in the east of Austria, where more snow was forecast.

Northern Italy also suffered traffic disruption, as snow caused the closure of sections of highway linking Italy to southeastern France.

In Turkey, where the cold had claimed four lives this week, temperatures plummeted overnight to minus 31 degrees Celsius, in the eastern mountain area of Agri.

- AFP