Snow and ice wreak havoc across Europe, causing deadly accidents and travel chaos

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Snow, ice and freezing temperatures hit parts of Europe on Tuesday, causing treacherous traffic conditions that left at least five people dead in France and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights from one of the continent’s busiest airports.

Authorities in the Landes region of southwestern France reported three dead in accidents, and at least two more people were reportedly killed in the Île-de-France region around Paris, where authorities ordered trucks off the road as snowfall caused huge traffic jams on Monday.

Paris awoke Tuesday to a blanket of snow on its famous rooftops and sites, and children whose schools couldn’t hold classes delighted in an unexpected day off. Air travelers were less happy, as heavy snowfall forced the closure of six airports in the north and west of France.

As snow fell across the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that some 600 flights were grounded during the day as crews worked to clear runways and de-ice planes waiting to depart. More snow was forecast for the rest of the week.

Dutch airline KLM warned travelers stranded at Schiphol that scammers posing as customer service staff were targeting passengers and incorrect phone numbers for the airline were circulating online. It warned people “to be alert to these phishing attempts. Do not respond to such messages, and do not share any personal or payment information.”

KLM also said it was running short of the glycol fluid it uses combined with hot water to de-ice planes before they take off. It said airports across Europe were facing similar problems after days of freezing temperatures.

Just getting to and from the airport outside the Dutch capital was a struggle with frozen points and an early morning software glitch throwing the Netherlands' rail system into turmoil.

Limited rail services resumed later in the morning but routes around Amsterdam remained largely closed because of the icy conditions, national railway company NS said on its website. It urged commuters to “only travel if it’s absolutely necessary.”

Commuters forced to drive to work also faced time-consuming journeys as a combination of the snow and ice snarled traffic on some highways.

Thijs Rademakers, an 18-year-old student, decided to ride his bike rather than wait for public transport.

“It was tough, very slippery,” he said in the eastern city of Arnhem. “Many people fall. Luckily, I didn’t.”

In Rome, weeks of rain that have swollen the Tiber River over its banks again muted Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas-time celebrations. St. Peter’s Square was only partially full Tuesday as a few thousand people crowded under colorful umbrellas to hear Leo deliver his Epiphany blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

Rome has been soaked by steady rains since before Christmas, and Mayor Roberto Gualtieri issued an ordinance for Tuesday limiting public access to parks and other areas at risk for falling trees and flooding.

Farther north, snow dusted Bologna and gave skiers in the Dolomites reason to cheer, though freezing temperatures are forecast for much of the north and central part of the peninsula over the coming days.

A cold snap sent the temperature in northern parts of Britain down to minus 12.5 degrees Celsius (9.5 Fahrenheit) overnight, as snow disrupted rail, road and air travel and closed hundreds of schools.

Horse races and soccer matches have been called off because of snow and frost, while a power failure caused by ice closed Glasgow’s subway.

Up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) of snow was forecast Tuesday for northern Scotland, where some people have already been snowed in by previous falls. Northeast Scotland lawmaker Andrew Bowie said the situation was “critical,” calling for soldiers to be sent in to clear snow and get food and medical supplies to stranded people.

Both heavy snow and heavy rain swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and creating problems in traffic and disruptions in power and water supplies. A woman died in Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo on Monday after a snow-covered tree branch fell on her head. In neighboring Serbia, some western municipalities introduced emergency measures due to bad weather.

Authorities in Serbia warned drivers to be very careful as many set off toward skiing resorts or elsewhere for Orthodox Christmas on Wednesday and the upcoming weekend. Black ice stopped cars and forced drivers to park on the side on their way to Mount Bjelasnica above Sarajevo on Tuesday morning.

Heavy wind and stormy seas battered the Adriatic coastline in Croatia and Montenegro. Video footage showed the sea sweeping through holiday cottages at Ada Bojana in southern Montenegro during a storm.

Associated Press writers across Europe contributed to this report.

Bamburgh Castle surrounded by snow in Bamburgh, England, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)

Cars drive around a curve in a snow covered forest of the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Snow-covered cars are parked in a street in Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (Zoltan Balogh/MTI via AP)

Windmill De Vlieger stands in a snowy field in the town of Voorburg on the outskirts of The Hague, Netherlands, as snow and ice covers the country on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Mike Corder)

Republican Guards walk in the snow covered courtyard of the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Freshly fallen snow lies on the roofs of houses in Kronberg near Frankfurt, Germany, early Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — A separatist group in southern Yemen said Wednesday it was urgently trying to contact its delegation that traveled to the Saudi capital for talks on de-escalating tensions among rival forces on the ground.

The Southern Transitional Council, the most powerful group in southern Yemen, said a 50-member delegation arrived in Riyadh in the morning. One member posted a message on X but then the delegation went silent, their phones switched off and their whereabouts unknown.

The announcement came after the Saudi-backed leadership group of Yemen’s internationally recognized government said it had expelled the STC leader. The Presidential Leadership Council, or PLC, said the STC leader was charged with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia for the talks.

The recent tensions highlight the fragile nature of the collection of forces, including the separatists, that have been fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels based in northern Yemen. One notable rift is between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which has supported the STC. Saudi Arabia on Wednesday launched new airstrikes against the separatists.

“We went to Riyadh to talk. What we received was bombing," Amr al-Bidh, an STC representative, told reporters. "This is unjustified and unfortunate.”

The Saudi foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The professed goal of the coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen's decade-long civil war has long been to restore the internationally recognized government, which the Houthis drove from the north. But tensions among the factions have grown, threatening to throw them into outright conflict and further tear apart the Arab world’s poorest country.

The separatist STC seeks an independent nation in southern Yemen, something that Saudi Arabia sees as a violation of its national interest. Last week, the separatists announced a constitution for an independent nation and demanded other factions accept the decision.

The crisis escalated in December, when the separatists seized control of two southern governorates from Saudi-backed forces and took over the Presidential Palace in the south’s main city, Aden. Members of the internationally recognized government, which had been based in Aden, fled to the Saudi capital.

Saudi forces then carried out airstrikes on the port city of Mukalla, saying they were targeting weapons and military equipment that had been delivered from the UAE to the separatist group. The anti-Houthi coalition demanded that the UAE withdraw its forces from Yemen, and over the weekend it said it had.

Meanwhile, the Saudis proposed talks meant to calm things down.

The PLC, led by Rashad al-Alimi, accused the STC head Aidarous al-Zubaidi in a Facebook statement of “damaging the republic’s military, political and economic standing,” as well as “forming an armed gang and committing the murder of officers and soldiers of the armed forces.”

Maj. Gen, Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said Wednesday that al-Zubaidi had been due to fly to Saudi Arabia with other officials but did not join them.

“The legitimate government and the coalition received intelligence indicating that al-Zubaidi had moved a large force — including armored vehicles, combat vehicles, heavy and light weapons, and ammunition,” al-Malki said. Al-Zubaidi, he said, “fled to an unknown location.”

The STC representative, Al-Bidh, said al-Zubaidi remained in Aden, the interim capital where the internationally recognized government has been based, to carry out his duties — and because an environment conducive to dialogue doesn't currently exist.

Al-Bidh said the message his group received from the Saudis was “either you come or we’ll bomb you.”

More than 15 Saudi airstrikes overnight hit al-Dhale governorate, where al-Zubaidi's village is located, targeting STC camps, according to STC leader Salah bin Laghir.

Two civilians died and 14 were injured, according to al-Bidh.

Witnesses told The Associated Press they saw armored vehicles affiliated with the STC leaving Aden overnight heading to al-Dahle, as well as drones and flames rising as explosions shook neighborhoods there.

The STC said it condemned “these unjustified airstrikes.”

On Sunday, Saudi-backed forces spread across Mukalla, retaking the capital of Hadramout governorate following days of Saudi airstrikes.

Al-Bidh said Wednesday that around 80 people affiliated with the STC had been killed since tensions rose in December, with most dying in Saudi bombings.

The fighting among anti-Houthi coalition members challenges any unified campaign against the rebels.

The civil war in Yemen, on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula and bordering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians. It also has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

Khaled reported from Cairo, and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

FILE - The president of the Yemen's Southern Transitional Council Aidarous Al-Zubaidi sits for an interview, Sept. 22, 2023, in New York, while attending the United Nations General Assembly's annual high-level meeting of world leaders. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)