Snow and ice wreak havoc across Europe causing deadly accidents and travel woes

Windmill De Vlieger stands in a snowy field in the town of Voorburg on the outskirts of The Hague, Netherlands, as snow and ice covers the country (Mike Corder/AP)

Snow, ice and freezing temperatures hit parts of Europe on Tuesday, causing treacherous traffic conditions that left at least five people dead in France and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights from one of the continent’s busiest airports.

Authorities in the Les Landes region of southwestern France reported three dead in accidents, and at least two more people were reportedly killed in the Ile-de-France region around Paris, where authorities ordered trucks off the road as snowfall caused huge traffic jams.

Paris’s iconic buildings were blanketed with snow, and Sacre-Coeur basilica became the backdrop of a fun day off for many (Aurelien Morissard/AP)

Paris awoke to a blanket of snow on its famous rooftops and children whose schools couldn’t hold classes delighted in an unexpected day off.

Air travellers were less happy though, as heavy snowfall forced the closure of six airports in the north and west of France.

As snow fell across the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that some 400 flights were grounded as crews worked to clear runways and de-ice planes waiting to depart.

Commuters in the Netherlands were warned to only travel if necessary, with train services limited (Mike Corder/AP)

Just getting to and from the airport outside the Dutch capital was a struggle with frozen points and an early morning software glitch throwing the Netherlands’ rail system into turmoil.

Limited rail services resumed later in the morning but routes around Amsterdam remained largely closed because of the icy conditions, national railway company NS said on its website. It urged commuters to “only travel if it’s absolutely necessary.”

Commuters forced to drive to work also faced time-consuming journeys as a combination of the snow and ice snarled traffic on some highways.

Republican Guards walk in the snow covered courtyard of the Elysee Palace in Paris (Thomas Padilla/AP)

In Rome, weeks of rain that have swollen the Tiber River over its banks again muted Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas-time celebrations. St Peter’s Square was only partially full as a few thousand people crowded under colourful umbrellas to hear Leo deliver his Epiphany blessing from the loggia St Peter’s Basilica.

Rome has been soaked by steady rains since before Christmas, and Mayor Roberto Gualtieri issued an ordinance for Tuesday limiting public access to parks and other areas at risk for falling trees and flooding.

Farther north, snow dusted Bologna and gave skiers in the Dolomites reason to cheer, though freezing temperatures are forecast for much of the north and central part of the peninsula over the coming days.

Both heavy snow and heavy rain swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and creating problems in traffic and disruptions in power and water supplies.

A woman died in Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo on Monday after a snow-covered tree branch fell on her head.

Freshly fallen snow lies on the roofs of houses in Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany (Michael Probst/AP)

In neighbouring Serbia, some municipalities in the country’s west introduced emergency measures due to bad weather.

Authorities in Serbia warned drivers to be very careful as many set off toward skiing resorts or elsewhere for Orthodox Christmas on Wednesday and the upcoming weekend.

Black ice stopped cars and forced drivers to park on the side on their way to Mount Bjelasnica above Sarajevo on Tuesday morning.

Heavy wind and stormy seas battered the Adriatic coastline in Croatia and Montenegro. Video footage showed the sea sweeping through holiday cottages at Ada Bojana in southern Montenegro during a storm.