At least 4 killed as storm batters Netherlands, Belgium

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THE HAGUE. KAZINFORM At least four people were killed as a huge storm hit the Netherlands and Belgium with winds of up to 143 kilometers per hour (89 mph) on Thursday, EFE reports.

Dutch police said one man was killed near the eastern village of Olst when he got out of his car to move a branch off the road and was hit by another branch.

Another was killed by a fallen tree.
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A third man died and another was severely injured when they fell through a plexiglass structure at a private industrial site, an accident that police said was linked to the storm.

Belgian media reported that a woman was killed in the forest of Beausart by a tree that fell on her car.

Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam announced that its airspace had been closed and many flights had been canceled or delayed.

However, it said it expected to start being gradually opened again from midday when the storm's strength was predicted to begin to dissipate.

Authorities activated a code red in more than half the country, recommending that highways not be used as many had been closed by fallen trees and jackknifed trucks, as seen in images made available by epa.

Several train stations were evacuated as parts of the roof were close to being blown off and rail traffic is suffering delays and cancellations across the country.

Containers stacked in Rotterdam's port were knocked over by the powerful gusts of wind.

Emergency services have collapsed as they have received huge amounts of calls throughout Thursday morning and police recommended that people only call if they are in extremely dangerous situations.

Images released by epa showed people bundled up in their best winter gear braving the beaches outside Rotterdam.

Others were seen dismounting their bicycles and trying to push them against the gale.

The Belgian national rail company SNCB/NMBS canceled all trains from Brussels to Amsterdam and said services were disrupted in the south of the country by a tree that fell on the tracks.

 

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