Five people died in France and one in Bosnia in weather-related incidents, as ice and snow spread across large areas of Europe for the second day in a row on Tuesday. Freezing temperatures caused flight and train cancellations in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France, and created dangerous conditions for drivers.
First modification: 01/06/2026 - 23:55
Sub-zero winter temperatures plunged large parts of Europe into a second day of travel chaos on Tuesday, with weather-related accidents causing five deaths in France and one in Bosnia.
Three people died Monday morning in accidents linked to black ice in southwestern France, authorities said, while a taxi driver died in hospital Monday night after veering off the road and falling into the Marne River in the Paris region.
According to a police source, his passenger was still being treated for hypothermia, while another driver also lost his life east of Paris on Monday after a collision with a heavy vehicle.
Across the Channel in the UK, the mercury fell to -12.5C overnight in Norfolk, eastern England, while temperatures below -10C in the Netherlands paralyzed trains on Tuesday morning.
House boats moored along the bank of a frozen canal, in Hédé-Bazouges, western France. © Damien Meyer, AFP
“Last night was the coldest night of the winter so far,” said the British weather service Met Office, with almost the entire United Kingdom on alert for snow and ice and with more snow expected.
Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, the Netherlands' main air hub, saw a second day of weather-related cancellations, with more than 400 flights canceled on Tuesday and travelers facing huge queues at airline counters.
Trains of the Dutch national railway company NS only started running again after 10:00 (09:00 GMT), and services were limited afterwards.
Instead, planes took off again from Liverpool, in northwest England, and Aberdeen, in northeast Scotland, after cold weather forced both airports to close on Monday.
“How to climb Mont Blanc”
More than 300 schools remained closed in Scotland on Tuesday, the BBC public broadcaster reported, while Scottish rail services were also severely disrupted.
“Tuesday will bring even more severe snow and ice to the north of Scotland, bringing disruption to travel and risks to people and communities,” Scottish Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop warned late on Monday.
“It is important that people plan ahead, consider their travel plans and work from home if it is an option.”
Several French regional airports remained closed on Tuesday, according to the Transport Ministry.
However, the main Parisian airports of Orly and Charles de Gaulle remained operational without flight cancellations.
In the French capital itself, Monday's snowfall had settled overnight on much of Paris's sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to move cautiously along dangerously icy streets and cobblestones.
Tour guide Valeria Pitchouguina said the sight of snow-covered Paris was “truly extraordinary,” but the ice complicated the task of escorting her groups up the steep stairs of the picturesque Montmartre neighborhood.
“When it's like this, with snow and ice, it's something else: it's less like climbing Montmartre and more like climbing Mont Blanc,” Pitchouguina told AFPTV.
Hungarian Construction and Transport Minister János Lázár urged Hungarians to go out only “if absolutely necessary.”
AFP; Adapted from its English original
Related keywords
The content you requested does not exist or is no longer available.
