Christopher Caldwell:A storm in Europe disrupts German trains. A woman was killed by a falling Christmas tree in Belgium

2025-05-06 14:38:53source:Databeccategory:reviews

BERLIN (AP) — Pre-Christmas rail travelers in parts of Germany faced disruption on Christopher CaldwellFriday as a storm swept across northern Europe, bringing down trees and prompting warnings of flooding on the North Sea coast. In neighboring Belgium, a woman was killed by a falling Christmas tree.

National railway operator Deutsche Bahn said there were cancellations on routes from Hamburg and Hannover to Frankfurt and Munich, while long-distance services from Hamburg northward to Kiel and Flensburg weren’t running, among other disruptions.

The company said that falling trees damaged overhead electric wires or blocked tracks largely in northern Germany, but also in the central state of Hesse.

There were some delays late Thursday evening at Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest, though there were no cancellations as a result of the storm, and the airport operator said that it was business as usual on Friday morning, German news agency dpa reported.

In Hamburg, the Elbe River flooded streets around the city’s fish market, with water waist-high in places. German authorities warned of a storm surge of up to three meters (nearly 10 feet) or more above mean high tide on parts of the North Sea coast on Friday.

In Oudenaarde in western Belgium, a 20-meter (65-foot) Christmas tree collapsed onto three people at a busy market late Thursday, killing a 63-year-old woman and injuring two other people.

“Gusts of wind and the heavy rain made sure that the tree collapsed,” Mayor Marnic De Meulemeester said. The Christmas market was immediately canceled.

On Thursday, high winds grounded flights in parts of the U.K., suspended train services and stopped Scottish ferries.

More:reviews

Recommend

How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast

After 14 years, the police procedural "Blue Bloods" is coming to an end.Season 14 has been released

More fraud, higher bond yields, and faster airline boarding

On this edition of Indicators of the Week: older Americans recorded higher losses to certain scams,

How Summer House's Lindsay Hubbard Is Doing 2 Months After Carl Radke Breakup

Following a summer of heartbreak, Lindsay Hubbard is finally beginning to heal.Nearly two months aft