- Title: Storm Sabine hits Germany, forcing flight and train cancellations
- Date: 9th February 2020
- Summary: SANKT PETER-ORDING, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 9, 2020) (REUTERS) WOMAN ON BEACH IN NORTH SEA RESORT OF SANKT PETER-ORDING HOLDING HER JACKET'S HOOD WAVES HITTING PIER KITESURFER JUMPING INTO THE AIR COUPLE ON BEACH, WOMAN POINTING INTO THE AIR HELICOPTER OVER BEACH NEAR RESCUE VEHICLE KITESURFER SURFING RESCUE VEHICLES WITH BLUE LIGHTS FLASHING ARRIVING ON BEACH VARIOUS OF SMALL DOG ON MAN'S ARMS RESCUE VEHICLES ARRIVING ON BEACH RESCUER SPEAKING TO SURFER SITTING IN SAND, APPEARING TO TELL HIM OFF HELICOPTER OVER BEACH VARIOUS OF RESCUE VEHICLES ON BEACH SAND HITTING WOODEN BRIDGE WOMAN WITH HER DOG ON BEACH COLOGNE, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 9, 2020) (REUTERS) TAXI DRIVING PAST "COLOGNE BONN AIRPORT SIGN" VARIOUS OF FLAGS IN STRONG WIND TOWER CANCELLED FLIGHTS ON DEPARTURES BOARD VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS IN HALLS (SOUNDBITE) (German) STRANDED PASSENGER, KATHRIN RICKERT, SAYING: "I have a business appointment in Berlin tomorrow and was planning to travel tonight but I guess that's not going to happen." CANCELLED FLIGHTS ON DEPARTURES BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (German) PASSENGER RETURNING FROM MALLORCA, SPAIN, WOLFGANG MEIER, SAYING: "We arrived from Mallorca and they told us they won't fly to Paderborn and that we had to fly to Cologne instead. Now we are here and there is no information so we have to find a way to get home to Bielefeld." BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 9, 2020) (REUTERS) ENTRANCE TO BERLIN'S MAIN STATION VARIOUS OF RED REGIONAL TRAIN SEEN INSIDE STATION VARIOUS OF DEPARTURES BOARD SHOWING CANCELLED TRAINS ACHIM STAUSS, DEUTSCHE BAHN GERMAN RAIL SPOKESMAN, SPEAKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (German) DEUTSCHE BAHN GERMAN RAIL SPOKESMAN, ACHIM STAUSS, SAYING: "The train service from Hamburg to Copenhagen is also cancelled and Westerland on the island of Sylt is no longer being serviced. We took this decision because we have learned from previous storms that it's better not to let trains drive into critical regions in the first place. We can look after our passengers much better in train stations. What we want to avoid is trains getting stuck on the tracks." SUBURBAN TRAIN ARRIVING
- Embargoed: 23rd February 2020 16:44
- Keywords: berlin cancelled cologne airport flights cancellations north sea coast storm sabine surfer missing trains
- Location: SANKT PETER-ORDING & COLOGNE & BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: SANKT PETER-ORDING & COLOGNE & BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Environment,Weather
- Reuters ID: LVA001BZW4EVB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Storm Sabine reached Germany on Sunday (February 9), forcing the cancellation of flights and train services in several parts of the country.
In the North Sea resort of Sankt Peter-Ording, rescue services were alerted after two kitesurfers appeared to be drifting into the open sea.
The local fire department, assisted by a search and rescue helicopter arrived on the beach, only to find out the surfers had been able to make landfall on their own.
At Cologne, 21 take-offs and landings were cancelled due to the storm, according to the airport's Twitter page.
In Germany's largest hub Frankfurt, around 150 flights were cancelled, according to airport operator Fraport.
A Deutsche Bahn German rail spokesman in Berlin said that service between Hamburg and the Danish capital Copenhagen was interrupted as were trains to the island of Sylt.
"We have learned from previous storms that it's better not to let trains drive into critical regions," Achim Stauss told reporters.
Deutsche Bahn also warned of severe disruptions in other parts of northern Germany, saying that long-distance trains had stopped operating there.
(Production: Frank Witte, Andy Kranz, Michele Sani) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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