Hundreds of accidents on icy Dutch roads after overnight snow

This market truck ran into difficulty on the A1. Photo: Caspar Huurdeman Fotografie via HH
This market truck ran into difficulty on the A1. Photo: Caspar Huurdeman Fotografie via HH

Black ice and frozen snow led to hundreds of accidents on the Dutch roads on Saturday morning, traffic information service VID said.

The transport ministry is recommending that people avoid using their cars if possible because the freezing temperatures have left many roads extremely slippery.

Overnight, some 4.6 tonnes of gritting salt was sprayed on motorways in an effort to keep them clear, the transport ministry said. By Saturday morning, the total reached 7.2 tonnes.

Several centimetres of snow fell over the Netherlands on Friday night. Most – up to five centimetres – was reported in parts of Overijssel.

There were multi-vehicle pile-ups on the A12 and A15 while the A16 towards Rotterdam was closed at the Zonzeel junction for a time after a serious accident. People were also injured in accidents on the A15, A27 and A59.

The speed limit has been reduced to 50 kph in many places.

Up to 30 flights were cancelled at Schiphol airport while others were subject to delays of up to an hour.

The thaw set in mid morning in Noord and Zuid-Holland and conditions were also improving in Friesland but it will be evening before the ice has gone from the east of the country, the VID said.

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