1 dead after rare summer storm halts over 300 flights, rail services in the Netherlands
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At least two people were injured in Amsterdam when trees fell on their cars as a summer storm swept across the Netherlands.
PHOTO: AFP
AMSTERDAM – People across much of the Netherlands were told to stay indoors, as a rare summer storm hit the Dutch coast early on Wednesday, packing winds of up to 145kmh and severely disrupting air and rail traffic.
The National Meteorology Institute sent its highest code red storm warning to residents of the Noord-Holland province, which includes Amsterdam, urging them not to leave their homes and to reserve emergency service numbers for life-threatening situations.
The storm, named Poly, is the Netherlands’ worst ever during the summer months and its strongest overall since January 2018, weather agency Weeronline said.
Heavy storms in the Netherlands usually occur between October and April. The last heavy summer storm there was in 2015 and was the first in over a century.
A woman in the town of Haarlem died on Wednesday as she was hit by a falling tree, news agency Nu.nl reported citing the local police.
In the capital Amsterdam, local broadcaster AT5 said two people were injured as trees fell on their cars.
The city’s Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest hubs, cancelled more than 300 flights.
Train operators NS and Arriva halted all services in the country’s north, and a highway north of Amsterdam was closed due to falling trees.
The storm will move east over the north of the country during the morning, and is expected to become less intense during the afternoon. REUTERS
