Deadly Snowstorms Paralyse Travel Across Europe, Leaving Six Dead and Thousands Stranded

By Blessing Nweke

Intense snowfall and icy weather have caused widespread disruption across Europe, killing at least six people and paralysing air and rail travel in several countries, authorities said on Tuesday.

Five deaths were reported in France as a result of treacherous driving conditions, while a woman was killed in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo, after heavy snow brought down a tree. Across the continent, hundreds of flights were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at major airports, with disruption expected to continue into Wednesday.

In France, three people died in two separate accidents in the south-western department of Landes after vehicles skidded on black ice, officials said. Two further fatalities were reported in the Paris region. One person was killed in a collision between a car and a heavy goods vehicle in east Paris, while another died after a taxi hit a kerb, lost control on snow-covered roads and plunged into the Marne river.

The Balkans were also hit by severe winter weather, with snow and heavy rain affecting several areas. In Sarajevo, police said a woman was killed after a tree, weighed down by wet snow, collapsed on Monday following snowfall of around 40 centimetres.

French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot warned that more snow was forecast overnight into Wednesday and urged people to limit road travel and work from home where possible. France’s national weather service said 38 districts would be placed on orange alert for snow and black ice, while numerous train services were cancelled.

Air travel was heavily affected. At Paris’s Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport, 40% of flights were cancelled for several hours on Wednesday morning to allow runway clearing, while Orly airport planned to cancel a quarter of departures.

In the Netherlands, more than 400 flights were cancelled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, with hundreds of passengers stranded. Dutch airline KLM said it was close to running out of de-icing fluid due to “extreme” weather and supply delays. Rail services were also disrupted, compounding travel chaos across northern Europe.