Storm disrupts flights, kills in Netherlands, Germany

Three people were killed in the Netherlands and a man died in Germany on Thursday as powerful winds toppled trees, blew trucks off the road and forced cancellation of hundreds of flights.

Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport briefly suspended all air traffic as gusts of up to 140 kph (85 mph) were recorded along the coast.

At least 260 flights were scrapped and falling roof tiles led to the closure of airport terminals.

Nationwide train services and many tram and bus services were halted after the highest weather alert was issued.

Police said three people were killed by falling trees or debris in separate incidents while in Rotterdam, shipping containers were toppled and entire roofs ripped off homes.

Schiphol later said that some flights would resume as the storm moved inland, adding that there would be severe delays.

In Germany, a 59-year-old man was killed by a falling tree in Emmerich near the Dutch border, a spokesman for the town said.

A man only known as Westnetz, spokesman for the energy company said that some 100,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and in the northern state of Lower Saxony were left without power.

He said the company hoped to restore power within hours, provided the storm did not cause further damage.

The German railway operator Deutsche Bahn (DBN.UL) said on its twitter page that it had suspended all long-distance rail services due to the storm.

“Rail traffic is currently halted Germany-wide.”

Some bridges and some stretches of road were closed in NRW.

(Reuters/NAN)