Ciara lays siege to northern Europe
Hurricane-force winds and heavy rain have battered northern Europe as the continent felt the impact of Storm Ciara.
The weather brought travel disruption to a number of countries, with Lufthansa in Germany saying flight cancellations and delays would run until at least this morning. The airline planned to keep operating long-haul flights at its main Frankfurt hub.
Eurowings, a budget subsidiary of Lufthansa, cancelled most flights for the duration of the storm.
Brussels Airport also saw delays or cancellations.
The port in Calais in France, a key transport thoroughfare, shut down operations amid high waves.
The fierce winds also knocked out electricity in northern France. Paris authorities sent out a warning to residents and tourists alike to stay indoors for their own safety. Parks and cemeteries in the city of Lille and nearby towns shut down amid the strong winds and open-air markets closed early.
Luxembourg and the German city of Cologne announced that all schoolchildren could stay home due to dangerous conditions.
In Germany, where the storm was known as Sabine, railway operator Deutsche Bahn cancelled longdistance trains to destinations most at risk, including Emden and Norddeich, the northern city of Kiel, and the North Sea island of Sylt.
“We have learned from previous storms that it’s better not to have trains travel into critical regions in the first place,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesman Achim Stauss. “What we want to avoid is trains getting stuck between stations.”