Storms have caused severe damage in northern Europe. Streets were flooded, some people were brought to safety with helicopters. In Sweden, a train derailed yesterday because the railway embankment had been washed away.
In northern Europe, people continue to struggle with the effects of storm “Hans”. In Norway, several roads had to be closed due to flooding and landslides. A road in Molde Municipality was blocked by a huge rock that had slid down a slope in front of a tunnel. Dozens of people were evacuated, some in helicopters.
“Hans” had covered roofs and uprooted trees, two people died. Ferries have been cancelled, flights have been delayed and roads have been flooded. Several people were injured by falling branches. Thousands remain without power.
Authorities warn of heavy rain
The storm is expected to continue over Scandinavia for a few more days. The Norwegian authorities continued to warn of “extremely heavy rainfall” in the south of the country. The Meteorological Institute assumes that the extreme weather will continue to bring large amounts of rain on Wednesday, especially in a larger area north of the capital Oslo.
In Oslo, people have been urged to work from home and avoid unnecessary traffic. The situation is very serious, the Norwegian Directorate for Water Resources and Energy said on its website.
Two wagons derailed
In the past few days, the storm had first hit Sweden and shortly afterwards Norway. Near Hudiksvall, around 300 kilometers north of the Swedish capital Stockholm, two carriages of a passenger train with around 120 passengers derailed on Monday. At this point, the embankment had given way because of the heavy rain. According to the police, three people were injured.
The train was en route to the northern Swedish city of Sundsvall when two of four carriages derailed. When they arrived at the scene of the accident, the police and rescue services found that the embankment had been undermined by heavy rain and had collapsed as a result.
Swedish place flooded
The situation is currently particularly tense in the central Swedish town of Åre after a stream burst its banks there during the night. Recordings from Swedish radio showed flooded streets and also how the street and the ground under a snack bar had been ripped away by the water masses. Residents were asked not to go outside. The police spoke of a lot of damage.
In the city of Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast, the area of the fishing port was flooded after the Göta älv river also burst its banks there.
Denmark was also affected by the storm. In Løkken bathhouses were floating in the water of the North Sea during the storm.
Baltic States also affected
In addition to Norway and Sweden, the storms also affected Denmark, Finland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A 50-year-old woman was killed by falling trees in Lithuania on Monday. According to a television report on Monday, a person was also killed by a tree in Latvia.
The Meteorological Institute in Denmark reported waves up to eight meters high. Beach huts were washed into the North Sea.