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Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport cancels flights as a powerful summer storm lashes the Netherlands

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Amsterdam’s international airport canceled or delayed hundreds of flights and the Dutch railway halted all trains in the northern Netherlands on Wednesday morning as a summer storm lashed the country.

The national meteorological institute declared a code red alert in three provinces as Storm Poly hit the country with heavy rain and powerful winds. One gust, on the coast west of Amsterdam, was recorded at just over 145 kilometres per hour (90 mph), the institute said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties. Dutch media showed pictures of uprooted trees and “and at least one toppled truck in Amsterdam, The Hague and the city of Haarlem as the storm barrelled through during the normally busy morning rush hour.

Emergency services in North Holland province, which includes the capital Amsterdam, sent a push alert to mobile phones urging people to stay indoors as the storm passed. Traffic authorities also advised motorists to avoid driving, if possible.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest aviation hubs, said on its website that it expected “very limited air traffic will be possible” into the afternoon, leading to cancellations and delays for incoming and departing flights.

The storm was expected to blow across the Netherlands later Wednesday and into Denmark and Germany.

News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc., 2021