Flight chaos continues as ash spreads across Europe

Thick drifts of volcanic ash blanketed parts of rural Iceland as a vast, invisible plume of grit drifted over Europe, emptying the skies of planes and sending hundreds of thousands in search of hotel rooms, train tickets or rental cars.

Meanwhile Polish officials feared the ash cloud could threaten the arrival of world leaders for tomorrow's state funeral of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria in the southern city of Krakow.