Traffic stopped for hours on many of Germany's autobahns as snowplows struggled to clear the roads amid heavy post-holiday traffic. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
PARIS - A WINTER storm brought blankets of snow across Europe on Monday, forcing the closure of an icy Eiffel Tower in Paris and causing flight cancellations.
Up to four inches (10 centimetres) of snow was recorded in parts of France, the national weather service said. Most areas, including Paris, got around half that amount.
Passengers stranded in Paris
PARIS - HUNDREDS of passenger were stranded on Monday at the main Paris airport of Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle by snow after scores of flights were cancelled.
Some '1,658 people will be accommodated by Air France on Monday evening in hotels at the airport hub at Roissy after the cancellation of 120 Air France flights of the 400 scheduled since the beginning of Monday afternoon, mainly to European destinations but also some long haul services', the airline said.
French authorities issued traffic alerts in around 30 regions because of icy roads.
The Eiffel Tower, one of Paris' main tourist attractions, was closed because of slippery conditions.
'We can't put down salt because it's metallic,' Eiffel Tower press officer Isabelle Esnous said. 'We can't use sand either ...
because it risks getting into the elevator (cogs).' The cold, she said, is no problem, but snow can be dangerous.
A dozen flights were canceled at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, officials said. The Paris airport authority said bad weather in other parts of Europe contributed to the cancellations.
Workers had been deployed since midnight Sunday to clear runways at Charles de Gaulle and the smaller Orly airport.
In Germany, heavy snowfall snarled road traffic and flight delays and cancellations at the country's international airports.
Duesseldorf International Airport said no flights were allowed in or out between 6-9am (1pm-4pm Singapore time) on Monday because clearing crews were unable to keep up with the snow.
More than 30 flights were canceled because of the bad weather, airport spokesman Christian Witt said. Up to four inches (10 centimetres) of snow was reported in Duesseldorf and around six inches (16 centimeters) in Potsdam, just outside Berlin.
Flights from Frankfurt International Airport were delayed as much as an hour but none had to be canceled.
Traffic stopped for hours on many of Germany's autobahns as snowplows struggled to clear the roads amid heavy post-holiday traffic.
Germany's National Weather Service is forecasting subzero temperatures for the coming days.
Snow also fell across Britain. Children built snowmen in parts of England, including Cambridge. -- AP
