VIENNA, Jan 13, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Freezing rain led to flights being suspended 
at Vienna airport on Tuesday, while neighbouring Slovakia, Czech Republic and 
Hungary also experienced travel disruptions.

Snow and freezing temperatures buffeted Europe last week, with gale-force 
winds and storms claiming some 15 lives, causing travel mayhem, shutting 
schools, and cutting power to hundreds of thousands.

A thick layer of ice on the Vienna airport runways led to arriving flights 
being diverted to other airports, while all departing flights were put on 
hold early Tuesday.

Austria's state railway company OeBB also asked travellers to postpone non-
urgent journeys, with numerous train connections facing interruptions and 
cancellations.

In neighbouring Slovakia, the Bratislava airport was also closed early 
Tuesday due to bad weather.

Slovak police on Facebook urged people to avoid travel because of "extreme" 
ice and snow in the west of the country.

In the Czech Republic, ice was also hampering road and rail traffic.

Prague airport came to a virtual standstill, with firefighters having to de-
ice the runways.

Around 50 people were treated for injuries because of the icy conditions, 
according to Prague's emergency services, cited by the CTK agency.

In Hungary, meteorological services also issued alerts for freezing rain and 
snowfall as severe winter conditions affect a large part of the country.

Trains and flights were experiencing delays, while authorities reported drift 
ice on the Danube and the Tisza rivers, where icebreakers have been put on 
alert.

Lake Balaton in the west of the country is currently frozen -- a relatively 
rare phenomenon seen about once every ten to fifteen years.

However, authorities warned that the ice is still too thin for skating, 
urging the public to be cautious.