Severe snowfall and icy conditions have caused major disruption across Europe, leaving at least six people dead and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
Authorities in France reported five deaths linked to hazardous road conditions, while one woman was killed in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, after heavy snow caused a tree to collapse. In some areas, snowfall reached up to 40cm (16 inches).
Air travel has been heavily affected, with thousands of passengers stranded at major airports, including Paris and Amsterdam. Officials warn that disruption is likely to continue into Wednesday.
In France, three people died in the south-western Landes region after vehicles skidded on black ice. Two others were killed in separate incidents in the Paris area. One crash involved a heavy goods vehicle in east Paris, while another saw a taxi slide off the road and plunge into the Marne River after striking a curb.
The Balkans were also hit by extreme weather. In Sarajevo, police confirmed that a woman died when a snow-laden tree fell on her amid persistent snowfall and heavy rain.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot urged residents to limit travel and work from home where possible, warning that further snow was expected overnight and into Wednesday. France’s weather service placed 38 regions on orange alert for snow and ice, leading to widespread rail cancellations.
Airports in Paris were also affected. Charles de Gaulle airport cancelled around 40% of its flights for several hours on Wednesday morning to allow runway clearing, while Orly airport reduced its schedule by about 25%.
In the Netherlands, more than 400 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, with hundreds of passengers left stranded. Long queues formed as travellers waited for updates, and many missed connecting flights.
Dutch airline KLM said many cancellations were due to extreme weather conditions and delays in receiving de-icing fluid, warning that supplies were running critically low.
Travellers at Schiphol described the situation as chaotic, with complaints of long waits and limited information. Airport officials said snow-clearing teams were working continuously and that aircraft were being carefully de-iced to ensure safety.
Dutch media reported that an additional 600 outbound flights from Schiphol were cancelled on Wednesday.
Rail services were also disrupted. Train operations across the Netherlands were briefly halted on Tuesday morning due to an IT outage, with delays continuing throughout the day. Several Eurostar services between Amsterdam and Paris were cancelled or delayed.
Authorities across Europe continue to monitor conditions as freezing weather and further snowfall threaten to extend travel chaos.
