Heavy snowfall has caused travel chaos across swaths of Europe as the Christmas holiday exodus got under way. Retailers faced disruption of supplies to their stores on Friday in the middle of the seasonal shopping rush and numerous airports across the continent were forced to close.
In Germany, the worst travel problems were caused in North Rhine-Westphalia, where snowfalls of up to 40cm were reported in some areas between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Sections of the motorway network had to be closed, after lorries were abandoned on the roads.
Heavy snow also caused major disruption in the Netherlands, leading to the closure of Schiphol airport near Amsterdam, which had expected to process about 125,000 travellers on Friday at the start of the Christmas break.
Several motorways were also closed following “complete chaos”, according to a motoring organisation. Amsterdam suspended all bus services, and the rail network has also been severely disrupted.
The national weather institute issued a warning in the afternoon, calling on people to avoid unnecessary travel.
In Germany, the worst travel problems were caused in North Rhine-Westphalia, where snowfalls of up to 40cm were reported in some areas between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Sections of the motorway network had to be closed, after lorries were abandoned on the roads.
Heavy snow also caused major disruption in the Netherlands, leading to the closure of Schiphol airport near Amsterdam, which had expected to process about 125,000 travellers on Friday at the start of the Christmas break.
Several motorways were also closed following “complete chaos”, according to a motoring organisation. Amsterdam suspended all bus services, and the rail network has also been severely disrupted.
The national weather institute issued a warning in the afternoon, calling on people to avoid unnecessary travel.
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