LONDON: Storm Ciara caused travel chaos on Monday, severely disrupting commutes and grounding hundreds of flights as swathes of Europe were left without power by torrential rain and winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour that also caused flash flooding and the cancellation of sporting fixtures.
In one of the most violent storms for years, one man died and another was reported missing in southern Sweden when their boat capsized, while three people were seriously injured in Germany by falling trees and branches.
Parts of northern France were put on orange alert and 130,000 homes had electricity cut off. The Netherlands closed one of its big storm surge barriers as the tempest approached on Sunday night. Police said it caused Monday morning traffic jams over 600 kilometres of roads.
Around 220 flights were cancelled during the morning at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport — Europe’s third-busiest — most destined for other European cities.
Another man was injured by a tree in the Czech Republic, where winds reached up to 180 kmph on the country’s highest mountain, Snezka. The storm left 100,000 without power there and even toppled over a truck. — AFP
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