4 killed as storm batters Netherlands, Belgium

At least four people were killed as a huge storm hit the Netherlands and Belgium with winds of up to 143 kmph on Thursday.

Dutch police said one man was killed near the eastern village of Olst when he got out of his car to move a branch off the road and was hit by another branch. Another was killed by a tree.

A third man died and another was severely injured when they fell through a plexiglass structure at a private industrial site, an accident that police said was linked to the storm, Efe new agency reported.

Belgian media reported that a woman was killed in the forest of Beausart by a tree that fell on her car.

Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam announced that its airspace had been closed and many flights had been cancelled or delayed.

Authorities activated a code red in more than half the country, recommending that highways not be used as many had been closed by fallen trees and jackknifed trucks.

Several train stations were evacuated as parts of the roof were close to being blown off and rail traffic is suffering delays and cancellations across the country.

Emergency services have collapsed as they received huge amounts of calls throughout Thursday morning and police recommended that people only call if they are in extremely dangerous situations.

The Belgian national rail company SNCB/NMBS cancelled all trains from Brussels to Amsterdam and said services were disrupted in the south of the country by a tree that fell on the tracks.

--IANS

him/dg