Stormy weather hits northern Europe, canceling flights and emptying ferries

2023-08-07 18:33:10, Kosova & Bota CNA

Stormy weather that hit the Baltic Sea region on Monday killed at least one person and caused flight delays, ferry suspensions and a train derailment.

Three people were taken to hospital in Sweden when two of the passenger carriages derailed in Hudiksvall, a town 280 kilometers north of Stockholm, police said on August 7.

The train derailed because " the railway was damaged by the heavy rain and the landslide ", said the police, adding that the extent of the damage to the injured is unknown.

There were 120 people on the train, Swedish media reported.

Stormy weather hits northern Europe, canceling flights and emptying ferries

Ferries connecting Poland with Sweden, the two German islands with Germany and Norway with Denmark have remained in port. Ferries and water taxis to the German islands of Hiddensee and Reugen were canceled for Monday and Tuesday morning.

Holidaymakers have been asked to postpone travel plans until Wednesday.

In Lithuania, a 50-year-old woman was killed by falling oak trees near the border with Latvia. This area was heavily damaged, leaving thousands of people without electricity and with destroyed roofs.

The Baltic News Service said the storm caused extensive damage in the nearby region of Dobele. Posts on social media indicated that one of the most affected properties was a park in Tervete, a popular recreation area that also includes a children's toy arena inspired by Latvian fairy tales. The park will be closed until next week.

Heavy rain and hail were also reported in Estonia, the third Baltic country.

In Denmark, police from the northeastern part of the country said on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, that the weather is still bad.

The fire department in Copenhagen urged people to stay away from parks and mountains, saying that " the mixture of rain and storms increases the risk of falling oak trees ".

In southern Norway, authorities raised the extreme weather alert to the highest level due to heavy rain, landslides and flooding. The streets of Oslo, the capital of Norway, were flooded.

Thousands of lightning were reported in Sweden on Sunday./ REL