Stormy weather across northern Europe kills at least 1 person, and idles ferries and delays flights
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Stormy weather across the Baltic Sea region Monday killed at least one person and caused airport delays, suspended ferry services and a train’s partial derailment.
Three people had been taken to hospital in Sweden when two of the train’s passenger cars went off the tracks in Hudiksvall, a town 280 kilometers (174 miles) north of Stockholm, police said.
The derailment happened because ”the embankment has been undermined by the heavy rain and landslides,“ they said, adding that the extent of their injuries is unclear. There had been 120 people on the train, Swedish media said.
Ferries linking Poland to Sweden, two German islands to mainland Germany and Norway to Denmark remained in harbor. Ferries and water taxis to the German islands of Hiddensee and Ruegen were canceled for Monday and Tuesday morning, and vacationers were asked to change their travels plans to Wednesday.
In Lithuania, a 50-year old woman was killed by falling trees near the Latvian border. The area was badly damaged with numerous roofs ripped off, and thousands remained without electricity.
In the neigboring Baltic country of Latvia, television reported trees getting knocked over in wind gusts of up to 108 kph (67 mph), and meteorologists also reported golf ball-sized hail in Apgulde, a village southwest of Riga, the capital.
The Baltic News Service said the storm caused extensive damage in the nearby Dobele region. Posts on social media showed one of the affected properties was a park in Tervete, a popular recreational area that includes a children’s play area inspired by Latvian fairy tales. The park will remain closed until next week.
Heavy rain and hail was also reported in Estonia, the third Baltic country.
In Denmark, police in the northeastern part of the country said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that “the weather is still harsh.”
The fire department for greater Copenhagen urged people to stay away from parks and forests, saying “the combination of rain-soaked ground and storms increases the risk of trees falling.”
In southern Norway, authorities raised the extreme weather warning alert to its highest due to heavy rain, mudslides and flash floods. Flooded streets were also reported in Oslo, Norway’s capital.
On Sunday, thousands of lightning strikes were reported in Sweden.
___ Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, and Liudas Dapkus in Vilnius, Lithuania, contributed to this report.