Emergency services in several European countries had to use snow-removing equipment last night – although they thought that it would remain in the garages for at least another month. Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain. Winter in these countries began in late October. There are reports of accidents, snowdrifts and power outages.
Winter has come to Western Europe. The inhabitants of the Spanish islands were the first to experience the vagaries of weather. Hurricane winds and torrential rains hit the Canaries in the favorite tourist destination of Ibiza and Mallorca, a storm swept private yachts in ports and damaged several fishing vessels.
In the mountainous regions, heavy snowfalls took place. Snowdrifts in places rose to a height of more than a meter. Many motorists could not leave their yards. In some areas, school classes were canceled, and public services worked intermittently.
“I don’t remember when so much snow fell at the end of October. Driving on roads is almost impossible, ”complains a local resident.
Roads are cleared in neighboring Switzerland and Germany. Not accustomed to interruptions in the operation of public transport, the main efforts of the public utilities were aimed at clearing the runways of airports and railways. On the highway covered with wet snow and ice, the number of accidents increased sharply and as a result serious traffic jams formed, which completely deprived the chances of clearing the roads. In Zurich, for the first time in 70 years, 20 centimeters of snow fell.
In eastern Germany, on a snowy autobahn, a car transporter was transporting used cars. The truck overturned, and cars from the platform rained down onto the roadway. Miraculously, no one was hurt in the resulting blockage, but the road was blocked, and for several hours the police cleaned up the wrecked cars from the roadway.
Bad weather got to the coast of Italy. There, in the area of Genoa, a ferry was thrown aground by a storm. 450 passengers survived almost a day on the ship in distress.
“I can’t move myself. At one point, I was thrown out of the wheelchair. I fell and hit my head hard, ”says the passenger of the ferry. According to another victim, “the ship began to throw strongly from side to side, and as a result, all passengers were on the floor.”
With great difficulty, the rescuers managed to tow a damaged, breached vessel to the port. Reports of severe destruction continue to come from various coastal Italian cities.
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